So how was school today?
by InsaneNuclearUnit
Summary: Sasuke. Naruto. Sakura. And the rest of the Ninja Acadamy. High School. Alternative Universe. But what will happen to our two favorite rivals as the school year unfolds? Romance Blooms in various places, and a story unfolds. Slash. Shonen ai.
1. The first day

Sasuke? Not mine. Naruto? Nope, not mine either. Technically, the only thing that's mine in his story is Sasuke's high school uniform. Yum. MINE, GET AWAY! snarl

It feels very awkward to start out the story in the very beginning, when the boys had absolutely nothing for each other. I feel frustrated with them. But… a good story deserves a good start. We'll take it nice and slow.

Enjoy.

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**1. The first day.**

The morning sun shone stubbornly through the window, passing the blinds without a second glance. Rolling away from the troubling fact that it was, indeed, morning, Sasuke attempted to forget what day it was. But no luck there. It pounded against the shell of his skull in the most annoying manner.

The covers of the bed fell away as he sat up, gazing blankly into the wall of his apartment. Sasuke Uchiha, son of the famous millionaire doctor. Why was he living in this low-life place? He could probably afford better. Great things were expected out of him, always. Everyone had already decided that he'd go to the best University. They asked him if he'd wanted a better arrangement. But he refused the offers flatly, and turned to the normal life of a high-school boy living in Tokyo. It was a drag, but inside his heart, Sasuke was content. At least for a while. Later, he'd decide which way to go. He didn't need to lean on other people to walk. He could do it fine by himself.

Sighing softly, he got up and stumbled into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. A few minutes later, toast popped up, and he spread some jam over it absent mindedly, staring out of the window at the looming buildings. After this, he proceeded to pull out his new high-school uniform. Sasuke stared at the white shirt for a long time, thinking over how he'd look in it. The dress-code was simple enough, and without so much design as for the junior-high clothes. Sasuke liked this better – he didn't care much for showing off his looks, although looks he had, and not one girl had yet been able to resist looking at him at least one more time, just to catch his deep, dark, opal eyes. Just to see his tall, lean, figure, standing there like a statue, undaunted by the limits of time and space – a sculpture of one's fantasies come to life.

As he got dressed Sasuke foresaw the day ahead of him. First day of high school. It would be so terribly_ boring_. The girls would swoon right and left of him, the teachers would praise his smarts, and the guys would ignore him in the way all gentlemen should – secretly bubbling with hatred and jealousy from afar. It was all old school; literarily.

A bus ride, a walk, and the famous Mr.Uchiha stood in front of his new High School. The front yard burst with students. All of them were top-notch of course; no idiot would get into this good of a school without the best marks. But that didn't make them any more mature. The first girl that laid eyes on Sasuke quickly tapped the shoulder of her friend, and they both began to approach him, their faces shining with definite blush. Groaning quietly the boy began making his way through the large crowd of the other students. Losing the girls was only a part of the game. Finding the front door in this traffic jam of people was another matter entirely.

"Oh, wow, I can't believe this, It's Sasuke Uchiha! Sasuke Uchiha! Oh my god, we're going to attend the same high school! No way!" a girl's voice, from somewhere far off. Sasuke sped up desperately, but suddenly, in a flash of pink, a girl appeared in front of him. Her red and embarrassed face locked onto his. She had short, pink hair, and brilliant green eyes that seemed to eat him up.

"H-hi Uchiha-san." she mumbled shortly, adding a small bow.

"Hi…" Sasuke said absentmindedly, stepping to the side to go around her, but she followed him like a shadow.

"I've heard so much about you! I mean... Wow, I'm so glad we'll be going to the same school!" she seemed giddy with glee. Sasuke couldn't say he shared the same feelings.

"I'm uh… I'm Sakura Haruno." The girl said.

"Nice to meet you." Sasuke climbed the steps to the school.

"Yes… Uh, Uchiha-kun, wait!" Sakura didn't leave him, even as he entered the building. She followed his footsteps like a lost puppy, gazing up into the back of his head fondly.

"Is there something you need?" Sasuke spun around so suddenly, she almost bumped into him. His black eyes stared down into hers coldly. Sakura flinched.

"Hey, what's your problem?" a daring voice came from the side. A boy approached the two. He walked tall, his shoulders thrust out behind him, his chest foreword. His eyes were sharp crystal blue, and his blonde hair stood up on its ends, creating a rather spiky effect. Three cut-marks grew along both of his cheeks, looking somewhat like whiskers. "She's trying to be nice to ya!" he glowered at Sasuke, who merely stared back at him, hiding his immense surprise for the boy's rash actions.

"Nothing is my problem. Why are you in my business?" Sasuke grunted, not really wanting to argue right this moment. Sakura didn't take too well to his defense.

"That's right! It's not your business, so get out!" she said defiantly. "Who do you think you are? This is Sasuke Uchiha!"

The blonde peered into Sasuke's eyes suspiciously. "Oh? Am I supposed to care? And I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

_Who the hell is this joke and why is he staring at me this way?_ Sasuke's habit of keeping his inner thoughts to himself remained true. He snorted, turned around and began to make his way down the hall, heading for his classroom.

"Uchiha-kun, wait!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and stopped. "What?" as asked, straining himself to remain calm.

"Uh… Can I walk with you? We're going in the same direction as it would seem!" Sakura's voice was cheery despite his unfriendly manner to her. Sasuke didn't bother to turn around and glance at her, but nodded curtly and continued on his way. The halls were unusually silent, with everyone still outside, willing to enjoy the nice, warm, weather. Sakura dealt with this for a few minutes of their walk, than attempted to start a conversation.

"That Uzumaki is a real jerk." She said, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "What right did he have to go around accusing you like that?"

"Yeah." Sasuke said, without much enthusiasm.

"I mean, it's pretty stupid of him to cut in like that. Did you see those scars on his cheeks? Nasty. And his unbuttoned shirt? That's really low, he should take better care of his clothes! I bet he's already gotten himself into a fight by now." Sakura made an attempt to walk by Sasuke's side, but he sped up just as quickly, leaving her behind him. Taking the hint, the girl continued on with the conversation. Or at least she attempted to, when at last the door to Sasuke's classroom showed up on the left of the hallway, in front of some windows that gave a view into the school's front yard.

"Uchiha-kun? Oh, you're in this class-room too? I can't believe it!" Sakura's excitement was, perhaps, just as large as Sasuke's irritation upon hearing this news. She followed Sasuke to a desk and sat down by him, her green eyes inspecting him with interest.

"What? You two are really that slow?" a familiar voice came from the classroom window. Naruto sat there, perched comfortably on the thin windowsill. He grinned triumphantly up at Sasuke, who was unaware of the race. The dark-haired boy shook his head lightly, as if to say 'What a fool.' And opened his backpack, taking out a book. Naruto jumped down, coming up to him and Sakura.

"So you're the Uchiha all of the girls are talking about. I don't know what their deal is, you're really nothing special." The blonde poked Sasuke's forehead. For a moment, the calm face was replaced with a scowl.

"Don't touch me." He snapped, pushing Naruto's hand away sharply. "I'm not interested in your stupid games. Leave me alone."

"Touché." Naruto mumbled, sounding hurt.

Sakura stood up defiantly, but before she could get a word in, another girl that appeared behind her back like a ghost pushed the pink-haired one aside and glared at Naruto.

"You will _NOT _say anything bad about Uchiha-san!" she snarled. Her blue eyes bore into Naruto's. Her hair was short and blonde, up in a high ponytail. Her short-cut skirt twirled as she moved.

"Ino!" Sakura seemed outraged. "I was taking care of it just fine! There was no need to barge in!"

"Well you obviously weren't, if you let this creep touch Uchiha-san!"

"You're pathetic, Ino. I wasn't going to let him get away with it!"

"But you did. You didn't react fast enough!"

"Yes I did! If you hadn't come barging in--"

Naruto watched the two go at it for a while, then turned at grinned mischievously at Sasuke.

"I feel sorry for ya. They must be so annoying."

Sasuke pursed his lips and glared, but he could not deny the truth. The blonde idiot was right.

"What did you say?" a voice snapped. Ino and Sakura both spun around to face him. "You're gonna pay for that, scum-bag!"

Naruto backed away, carefully, putting up his hands in a sign of defense. "Um… N-nothing?"

Sasuke watched them chase Naruto around the classroom in a hurricane of fury. He sighed, about to return to his book, when he heard voices right behind him. A couple of guys were talking about someone. Uzumaki?

"Yeah, he's a knucklehead alright. But he's got so much spunk you wouldn't believe it. I've heard that the stories go about his being cursed. His life is doomed to be one of a thief and a murderer. And I swear, with the way he acts now, that's just how it's going to turn out."

Sasuke made no move to turn around to get a better hearing angle. His head digested the new information. So the Uzumaki idiot was doomed to a life of a bandit. That's probably where the scar was from. These days, the 'curses' in Tokyo city circled only around the street gangs. But once one took place, it stuck for life. Was it really true? Was this boy expected to come out as a low-life?

Sasuke flipped the page of his book without much interest. This year might actually be somewhat more exciting than the last. Well, the girls might still be after him like a pack of starving hyenas, but at least the company of his class-mates were more than just a few gentlemen. A quick look around told Sasuke that a lot of interesting characters have gathered. At last, with the bell's ring, a teacher entered the class-room, yawning loudly.

It was yet another oddity – a tall silver-haired male, wearing a headband that ran over his left eye. He also wore a ninja mask that covered half of his face, leaving only his right eye in view. Sasuke lifted his eyebrows, observing as he stepped up to the desk.

"Hello there, class. I'm glad you're all here today. Take your seat now; we'd want to get started soon." He announced in a cheerful voice. Everyone simply stared back at him, not responding. Sakura acted first, sliding in onto her chair behind the desk. The rest of the classroom followed suit.

"Good. Now we'll start with introductions. My name is Kakashi Hatake. You have to call me Senpai. I enjoy sleeping, and reading." From his bag he took out a small book and placed it on the desk. A few students exchanged looks of curiosity.

Kakashi Hatake sat down on the edge of his desk and took a clipboard, brining up to his eyes. "Akimichi Choji, you're up." He called out. The boy from the back row somehow got out of his chair and stumbled foreword down the row, towards the blackboard. And so it began.

The list went down quickly enough, and each of the students seemed to have something to say. Sasuke had early on noticed that sitting in the front row was a bad idea. Every girl seemed to find it extremely comfortable to stare at him while she talked. Avoiding their starving eyes as much as possible, Sasuke tuned out and stared at the window.

"Hello, my name is Sakura Haruno. It's very nice to meet you all. My hobbies are studying, and going to the mall. I don't really dislike anything except for _annoying idiots_, and the things I like are…" her green eyes shifted towards the raven-haired one that was barely a meter away. "Um… I like a lot of things."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke's frozen gaze suddenly shifted. He gazed at the confident face that stood in front of the blackboard. "My hobbies are hanging out around the city and eating Ramen. I dislike stuck-up people, and I like Ramen." A big grin followed this impressive speech. Naruto took his spot right behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Kakashi's voice was monotone, as with all of the others he'd called forth, but all around the room, little gasps of excitement rose. Sasuke got up silently and stepped foreword. He didn't care about how he'd make himself look in front of the others. He didn't particularly care about his social status. He had his own goals to achieve, and concerning himself with the opinions of others was not on the 'To do' list.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Even thought he spoke quietly, everyone could still hear him. The room fell silent, catching his every word like gold coins. "I don't have any hobbies. I don't really like anything. I do dislike a certain person, though." He slid back into his seat, ignoring the hushed whispers of astonishment. Many suspicious gazes were directed at Naruto, and Sasuke restrained himself from grinning.

_No, Naruto, unfortunately, I don't care for you at all. Liking or disliking. You are not worth my emotions. No idiot could possibly fit in there. I have enough to think about without you._

_Enough._

"Uchiha-kun?"

Sasuke looked up at Sakura, who stood in front of his table, her lunch box gripped tightly, worry written all over her face. She blushed deeply under his stern look.

"C-can I have lunch with you?"

_She's sly. Barging in at the first opportunity, before the crowd gathers._ Thought Sasuke.

"It's Sasuke."

"Huh? Oh, um, alright, Sasuke-kun. May I?" Sakura asked hopefully.

The boy shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me." he said impassively, and Sakura immediately plopped down on the chair next to him. Her face could light up any dark tunnel at that moment, as she unwrapped her lunch, took out her chopsticks, and began to eat. Sasuke ignored her presence, for the most part, only nodding briefly whenever she began to rant about something. Finally, the pink-haired one seemed to cease all tries of starting a conversation, and ate in silence. Sasuke only then began to think that this, could, perhaps be one of the better lunches – since every other girl stayed away from him and Sakura, and Sakura kept her trap shut. But then, of all things that could have possibly happen, Naruto appeared.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan!" he said, waving at them with one hand and holding an empty Ramen cup with the other as he came closer.

Sakura uttered a groan that appeared to be a growl. "What do you want Naruto-kun?"

"Nothing much. It looks like you're having fun over here." Naruto's blue eyes found Sasuke's. They seemed to shine with laughter. "Or maybe not. You're not too talkative, are you?" he turned to Sakura once again. "You can come hang out with me. I'm much more exciting then The Ice Prince here."

"No thanks." Sakura seemed to be straining to remain polite. A hard task to accomplish in Naruto's company.

Naruto pouted, than tried to shrug it off, as if it didn't really matter. He glared at Sasuke, obviously placing the blame for this failure on him. Sasuke glared back at him. After a few seconds, however, the Uchiha broke the string by turning away.

"You're not worth my time." He said simply, packing up his lunch and leaving.

Sakura mentally killed Naruto in her head while she took off after the raven-haired youth. The blonde simply stood there, then snorted, and turned to go in the opposite direction. He had Gym next, and once again, he'd have to deal with that lame Sasuke. Naruto was frustrated, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Why did everyone only pay attention to Sasuke? He was just a last name, nothing much more. Not much character to speak of. Stuck-up, mean, cold-hearted. No humor whatsoever. Just looks. Looks and expectations.

Naruto snarled.

Expectations. It's what everyone had. His were abnormally low. But he would prove to everyone he was not a failure. He would rise to the top and make them all respect him as a person, not an outcast. He would make them all realize!

"Line up, class, hurry, I don't have all day." The teacher said tiredly, waving over to the left side of the GYM. The students scurried over, lining up and getting ready to run.

"Boys first."

The girls of the class took a step back. All were extremely happy for the fact that they'd get to watch Sasuke run. The eyes focused on the tall and lean Uchiha, who was flexing his knees casually. Right beside him was Naruto, a determined, but at the same time frustrated scowl on his face. He glared at Sasuke sideways, but the boy didn't return the look. His gaze was focused steadily ahead.

"Sasuke-san is going to win! I know it!"

"He always wins. He's the fastest!"

"Yeah, no one can beat Sasuke-san!"

"C'mon, Uchiha!"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, growling at the cheering girls. "Hey, would you be quiet? He's not all that great, anyways!"

"What did you say?"

"Baka!"

"Shuddup, idiot! You don't know anything!"

The teacher sighed, brushing the bangs back from his head. He looked up at the ceiling. It appeared to be that the emotions were running high in this class. No one seemed to be focusing on the real objective. He raised his whistle to his lips and blew, hard.

The boys took off. Shoes thudded against the wooden floor. They collided together, dashing across to the other side of the GYM. The lot immediately took on the shape of a triangle, the slowest ones on the side in the back, the fastest ones closer to the point. Sasuke Uchiha led it, with Naruto Uzumaki just a step behind him. Behind them, cheers of eager fan girls could be heard.

"Not so tough now, are you, Uchiha?" Naruto grinned, catching up and falling in step with Sasuke. Sasuke didn't respond. Reaching the end of the GYM, he leaned down, made a sharp turn, and then began running back to the point where they'd started. Naruto wasn't so lucky. He slid back a bit too far and ended up having to push himself to catch up again. They raced for the finish line. The blonde's hand came out, trying to push the raven-haired boy's hand back, right as Sasuke's foot collided with Naruto's tripping him. Yelling out in surprise, they fell down onto the floor. Someone leapt over them, crossing the finish line. The startled boys looked up at the unexpected winner.

Tall and dark-haired with extremely long and odd eyebrows, he grinned back at them triumphantly. The girls stared back in shock and dismay.

"Rock Lee wins this match!" he announced to the girls, who cast him killer glances. He walked up to Sakura, looking like an Olympic champion. "I've heard that your name is Sakura Haruno. I saw how well you answered that question in math. You're really smart. Now that I've shown you that I'm better than the Uchiha, will you please go out with me?"

Half the class gaped at him. The boys stopped their panting for a while to make sure that they weren't hearing things. The girls just stood there, speechless.

"I… I…" Sakura seemed to choke on her own words. "OF COURSE NOT!" her fist, fast and hard came out, punching Lee right in the face, making him stumble backwards and fall onto his butt. Her eyes ablaze, the girl glared at him. "How dare you!"

While this uncanny turn-out was happening, Naruto pushed Sasuke away irritably.

"You cheated!"

"Did not, idiot, you were the one who pushed me!" the black-haired boy shook his head and stood up, walking over to a corner to shake the dust off of his GYM T-shirt. He then proceeded to staring at the one who'd beat him. Rock Lee. The Uchiha's opal eyes narrowed. So there was someone worthy of his attention. Someone he could take as a rival worthy of beating. He would have to work hard to surpass this odd guy with the fuzzy eyebrows.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice startled him. The girl stood by his side, a worried look on her face. "Are you alright? Did you fall? I'm going to kill that Naruto-baka."

"I'm fine." Sasuke mumbled, walking past her to line up for the next activity. Their teacher motioned for the class to settle down impatiently and then began to select teams for the next game. The rest of the class swept by without any further pauses, although Naruto's vain attempts to beat Sasuke in everything of course, failed.

Morning turned into afternoon, afternoon into evening. The crowd of students in the hallways slowly ebbed away. The sky began to redden. In the cool half-light of the classroom, the slim form of the Uchiha stretched, looking at the sunset. Having been selected as the leader of the class, he'd had to stay late to help plan some of the fieldtrips and the festivals. It was tiring work, but at least the people he worked with were sophisticated. They'd accepted him as a person, and did not gape at him in wonder. Maybe that was because they were stuck-up. Maybe it was because they simply concentrated on work more than anything else. In any case, by now they'd all left.

Sasuke gathered his papers, put them carefully into his bag and stood up, getting ready to leave. Locking the classroom door, he headed down the barren hallway. From behind one of the closed doors, muffled talking could be heard. It sounded like Kakashi-sensei was having a conversation with another teacher. Sasuke passed it without a second thought. He bounced down the steps and the street, towards his train ride home. Red light from the sky poured over him, and he closed his eyes lightly, enjoying the warm summer breeze. Somewhere not too far away, he heard the thudding of sneakers and a moment later Naruto dashed by him, sticking out his tongue in a teasing manner as he glanced over his shoulder. The blonde soon disappeared into horizon. Sasuke didn't speed up. He simply watched him, wondering. From the other side of the street, Sakura was waving. He cast him a smile, then turned to trot the other way, heading back home. Sasuke blinked in her direction, and continued on. The wind ruffled his black bangs gently, as if soothing him. The legendary Uchiha headed off into the sunset until the sunlight swallowed him whole.

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First chapter down….. ? more to go. I'm actually gonna put more than just the Sasuke/Naruto pairing into this. I'm guessing it's a bit casual right now, not too exciting or fluffy at all. It'll get better though, I promise. 


	2. The Awkward Triangle

Chapter Two of the first multiple-chapter story ever for me. School life strides on, and with some odd events happening, the classmates find themselves in a collection of funny and awkward situations.

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2. The Awkward Triangle.**

"Sasuke, over here, too!" called a voice desperately.

Sighing, the Uchiha trudged over to the one who'd called to him, picking up the papers and tapping them out on a side of the table. He glanced up to observe the classroom. September had slipped by, and here they were, already full-speed-ahead into the school year. The teachers paid no heed to their pleas and continued assigning homework by tons. The only relief for class 7A was Kakashi. He was constantly reading, and while he still had abnormally high expectations for his students, he was also known to let a few kids off from turning in their work late now and then.

Sasuke put the papers down on the teacher's desk and turned around, only to find himself face-to-face with Sakura. The pink-haired one seemed to follow him around even more as the days passed by; having gained confidence from the fact that he didn't push her away. The reality was, Sasuke really didn't care much for her as long as she kept quiet. That way, the other girls backed off, thinking they had something. Which they didn't.

Of course, there was also Naruto, who was annoying as usual. He still competed with Sasuke daily, although now he seemed to have lost his usual free time due to the amount of work that had to be done. But the constant bickering of the two boys became second nature to the whole class.

Sasuke exited the door and headed for the teacher's lounge to pick up some more papers. During lunchtime, he usually committed himself to his work on the student council, doing as much as he could. A thought somewhere in the back of his head told him to be careful and not step into the onigiri that had been dropped there by a careless student earlier this morning. Perhaps they'd cleaned it up already, but you could never be too sure. Turning around the corner, he looked up, his hands in his pockets. The floor was moist from the water that had been used to sweep it, and so the boy made it a habit to be careful as he crossed the area. But what he really had to do he never did, as from right behind him he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Uchiha-baka!"

Sasuke's eyes caught sight of Naruto who rounded the corner at a mad speed and headed right at him, not noticing the wet floor. Before the raven-haired youth could curse the blonde's foolishness, Uzumaki slipped and fell down, grabbing Sasuke's wrist in the process and pulling him along. In moments, they lay on the floor in a crumpled heap, trying to figure out what'd just happened. Sasuke came to first, and, grabbing Naruto decisively by the arm pulled him off in one good jerk. The blonde rolled aside and stood up, rubbing his hurt knee.

"Ack. Someone should put up a sign or something." He grunted.

"Someone should give you a brain!" Sasuke scolded him, also standing up. There was now a moist blotch on the back of his white school shirt. _It's a good thing no one actually saw us like this_. He thought to himself. _It would have been pretty awkward_.

Sighing, the Uchiha decided there wasn't much he could do. Naruto usually didn't listen, anyways. Turning to the blonde, he observed. Tall, but not tall enough to surpass Sasuke. Defiantly in good shape, although none of his muscles bulged out to make it a statement. His usually messy blonde hair was all over the place, and he defiantly needed his bangs cut, because they fell over his crystalline blue eyes. The regular white school shirt was unbuttoned again, the collar skewed off to the side slightly. Naruto turned to Sasuke at last and blinked.

"What?"

Mentally, Sasuke noted that this was unusual for the baka - to address him without some pushy statement following. But it's not like he minded.

"You should really learn to think." Sasuke said simply, then turned and continued down the hall as if nothing had ever happened. He heard Naruto pause, undoubtly staring at him, probably scowling. Then, the other boy disappeared back into the hallway, heading in the opposite direction of Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke groaned and turned to Sakura, who was quickly heading towards him. Did everyone want to talk to him today? Could he have no peace and quiet? The girl approached him, her face no longer blushing, as she'd gotten used to having Sasuke around.

"The teacher told me to come get you, because he has some homework for you from the student council. I think he wants you to organize some lists for the sports festival." She told him. Sasuke raised his eyebrows, then nodded and followed her. Sakura was also the class president alongside him. She'd gotten all of the best grades, and Sasuke came to quietly respect her intelligence. They continued all the way to the classroom in this manner, speaking about their work on the council and all the tiring things they had to do. At last, Sakura seemed to have changed the subject.

"Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot, that Naruto baka bumped into me on his way back into the classroom." She mumbled just loud enough for Sasuke to hear. His opal eyes descended to her knees, which were scratched lightly.

_Am I supposed to care?_ The voice inside Sasuke demanded.

"Oh?" he said instead, raising his eyebrows. "He's clumsy as usual." He said simply, and went inside the room, leaving the disappointed Sakura behind. It was obvious what she wanted – Sasuke to get mad at Naruto for hurting her and become her knight in shining armor.

But Sasuke felt no need to be angry. Why would he be? This was usual Naruto, and knowing him and his immense crush on the girl he must have apologized a hundred times. Sasuke sighed. If anyone could be given a medal for stupidity, it would be Naruto. He was also very blunt with his ways. Anyone could see just how much he liked Sakura. He was always trying to get her attention, trying to beat Sasuke and prove his worth. Unfortunately, though, Sakura felt nothing for him in return, and so it had gotten nowhere.

The bell rang, excusing them from lunch and reminding them that it was time to go to class again. Sasuke sighed dramatically and led the rest of his class to the art room, where their teacher awaited. Sitting down at the table, he barely noticed how Sakura followed him, sitting down at the same table, and later, so did Naruto, following Sakura.

"Class, get your sketchbooks and follow me outside." The teacher commanded in a determined voice. "Hurry up now."

Murmuring between themselves, the teens shuffled out of the door, down the hall and into the school's yard. Sakura kept close to Sasuke, rambling on about something she did yesterday, but he didn't really pay attention. The sun shone down brightly, and the grass was soft and inviting as they sat down and flipped open to a fresh new page. Sakura finally shut up and began to draw. Somewhere nearby, Naruto was mumbling to himself while doodling mock pictures of Sasuke.

The class hour droned on by. Somewhere in the middle of it, Sakura actually left Sasuke's side and went over to her other friends. When she came back, though, she was blushing deeply.

"H-hi Sasuke-kun." She mumbled. Sasuke lifted his eyebrow. Since when had Sakura been shy with him? Those times were long gone. Weren't they?

Amazingly enough, the girl remained in this odd state for the rest of the day. She continued blushing furiously whenever Sasuke got near, and for some reason seemed to even be afraid of him. At last, the bell rang for the last class to be dismissed, and the students began to slowly head out and back home. Sasuke prepared for another long stay after school. The classroom gradually became empty. A small breeze drifted through the window. The raven-haired boy looked outside, watching the students depart.

"S-sakuke-kun…" a small voice called out from behind him. Sasuke turned around.

"Sakura? Are you still here? Do you have work to finish as well?"

"Um… N-no Sasuke-kun." Sakura looked even more embarrassed than usual. She grabbed the bottom of her skirt, twisting the dark-blue material nervously. Slowly, she stepped foreword, closer to him. Sasuke didn't move. What was this all about? A confession of love?

Sasuke watched her come even closer. They faces were less than a foot away now. Her green eyes blinked up at him face. "U-uh… I just wanted to…" she gulped. Sasuke felt his breath catch. His eyes widened slightly. She was coming even closer. No way. No way. She was going to kiss him…?

The small click of the doorknob turning. The muffled swing of the door as it opened. The single footstep as the third person entered the room. Sasuke and Sakura froze in their place, lips barely an inch apart, seconds away from their kiss.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't say anything. His large blue eyes studied the two whom he'd caught in the act. He didn't smile. He didn't tease them. He did absolutely nothing but stare. Inside his mind, gears were turning.

"Oh…" Sakura leapt away as if she'd just been bitten. Her face colored beet red, she shoved Naruto outside and dashed out of the classroom and down the hall. Sasuke only caught a glance of her tear-stained face.

The two boys that were left moved around the classroom in silence. Naruto fished his book bag out from behind his desk and headed out of the door, pausing slightly before he exited. Sasuke felt this and looked up from his papers. They met gazes, and to his immense surprise, Naruto was smiling.

_Why are you looking like that? Don't do that. That smile… I can see it's fake. I can see your pain in your eyes. Why do you pretend?_

"She really likes you." Naruto said, still smiling, and then he turned around and went out, leaving Sasuke to his own thoughts. The dark-haired one put his pen down and folded his hands, resting his chin on top of them. His gaze traveled outside for a while, than he stood up defiantly. No use thinking this over too many times. He had to find Sakura, apologize to her.

Walking quickly down the hallway in the dimming light coming from the windows. He heard the muffled sobs from the hallway and headed towards it.

"Sakura-chan?"

The girl stood in a corner, her heavy bangs covering her wet face. Her hands clutched her shirt. Upon hearing Sasuke's voice, she glanced over her shoulder, seeming frightened.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun!" she said immediately, wiping her cheeks. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to, it was a dare, and uh… They wanted to see if I could kiss you, I really didn't mean to do that, and I didn't think Uzumaki would find out, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Her hands flew up to cover her face once again. Sasuke approached her calmly.

"It's alright." He mumbled. Sakura glanced up. "It's alright." Sasuke repeated again. "Naruto is sorry he walked in on us. He didn't mean it. You just took me off-guard that's all." In Sasuke's mind, the picture of the blonde's sad smile ate away at his brain.

"Uzumaki… But he'll tell the whole school!" Sakura seemed to be a nervous wreck. Somehow, Sasuke appeared to be missing something. A girl would probably be happy to have news of the fact that she'd kissed the famous Uchiha. But now, Sakura seemed to be worrying about it. He decided not to try to figure it out. Girls were weird.

Sasuke leaned in suddenly and planted a small and light kiss on her forehead. He didn't even understand why he did it. Sakura froze in place. Tears flowing from her eyes only a second before dried up. Pulling away, Sasuke turned around. Not a hint of embarrassment crossed his face.

"I've gotta go finish my work. Go home and get some rest, Sakura-chan." He said simply. Behind him, Sakura could only stare in amazement. As he walked down the hall, Sasuke wondered why he didn't feel any different from before. This was his first time ever kissing anyone. So than why did he feel so neutral about it? Of course, he had to comfort Sakura-chan. He liked her, and the sight of her crying made him feel slightly responsible.

"_She really likes you."_

Sasuke entered the classroom and began gathering his papers. Why couldn't he get that darned image of Naruto out of his head? Well of course the idiot was sad, Sasuke, his rival had just stolen his crush. But then why did he not burst out in a fit of anger?

Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Sasuke walked down the hall silently. His thoughts deepened.

_She really likes you. _

XxX

The next day was just as crazy. Sakura kept on glaring at Naruto the whole time, while the blonde himself didn't even spare her a look. This only made Sakura even angrier, and Sasuke even caught sight of her and him in the hallway, the pink-haired one threatening the blonde. While this was highly amusing, Sasuke broke the fight up, doing his job as the class leader. Naruto was oddly quiet during the rest of the day, avoiding the two altogether.

Then lunch came.

Sakura, to avoid any suspicions, sat next to Sasuke again. Ino and the rest of the girl-group cast her curious glances every now and then, but none dared approach. Halfway through Sasuke's eating of his wasabi roll, a blonde came up to them. He held yet another bowl of already-finished Ramen, which was no surprise. Everyone had good ideas of how fast he could eat.

"What?" Sasuke demanded, perhaps a bit too harshly. Naruto made a face at him, than sat down on the other side of Sakura, setting his cup to the side. Turning to the girl, he bit his lip, his eyes going this way and that. She glanced at him nervously.

"I'm…" his hands came together and he made a small bow. "…_really_ sorry."

Sakura seemed taken aback. She brushed a lock of hair back from her eyes and stared at Naruto. "Really?"

"I didn't mean to walk in like that. I had no idea. And um… I swear never to tell anyone. Seriously." His gaze was so sincere, for a second, Sakura thought he almost looked cute. But that was crushed down immediately as she reminded herself of who was sitting right next to her. Although, even the raven-haired boy was staring at the blonde in wonder by this time. Who knew the troublemaker Uzumaki could turn out to be so polite?

"It's ok." Sakura mumbled, still surprised. "If you won't tell anyone, then… thanks, I guess." She even managed to smile at Naruto.

Naruto smiled back, feeling easier.

They sat together for the rest of the lunch-time, not arguing. This sort of friendship attracted a lot of unwanted attention, but they didn't truly care at this point. Once finished with the food, the other students began to roughhouse. Somewhere nearby, a couple of boys began to push each other around.

"Naruto-kun, don't you have homework to finish?" Sakura teased him, grinning.

"Nah."

"He's too cool for homework. Or maybe he just likes detention too much." Sasuke's little smile was enough to make Sakura happy.

"Hey, you, shut up over there!" Naruto threw one of his chopsticks at Sasuke, and it hit him square in the nose. The Uchiha scowled.

Leaning across Sakura's lap, Naruto glared at Sasuke, whom also leaned in for the staring-contest. They kept this up for the longest time, unblinking. It seemed that in their minds, they were mentally killing each other. Sakura couldn't help a laugh. Everything was back to normal. Naruto was no longer polite, and Sasuke continued to be the Cool Prince. However, all this rivalry could get old.

"C'mon, boys, it's fine. Loosen up." Sakura neglected to mention that inside her mind, she actually wanted to see how this contest would turn out. She put her hands on their shoulders, one for each, and prepared to pull them apart when she saw the shape stumbling backwards, toward Naruto. For a moment, the falling boy's silhouette was reflected in darkness against the glint of the sun, then he came tumbling down, pushing Naruto foreword.

Time seemed to freeze in place. A dark and heavy silence fell like a sheet, swallowing up the conversations. One by one, the faces turned toward the three friends, astonished looks all shining as one.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had locked lips in an unexpected kiss, that wasn't even meant to happen in the first place. The look of pure horror on their faces was clearly written. Both seemed to go pale, but neither moved. Perhaps the shock was just too much to actually get their bearings. Finally, they stumbled backwards, spitting and crying out in disgust. Sakura seemed the most astonished. Her face went from pale, to green, to red. A fire of rage blazed in her eyes.

"Naruto-kuuuun…." She snarled, cracking her knuckles. The blonde looked up from his session of cleaning his mouth and began to crawl backwards, away from the angry girl from whom he'd just stolen Sasuke's first kiss.

"W-wait Sakura, it was accidental, I swear, really!" but no amount of pleading could save Naruto now.

Sasuke watched on from afar, holding a hand over his mouth as if he was about to throw up. His opal eyes followed Naruto's flailing body as he was thrown all the way across the yard to crash into a tree. In moments, Sakura was after him again, kicking and screaming something at the top of her lungs. The rest of the Sasuke-fan-club followed, with all intentions of killing the blonde. This continued on for quite a while, until Naruto actually had enough sense to climb up a tree where he was safe. The beat-up boy looked down wearily. All plans of descending in that direction vanished.

Sasuke muffled a laugh. As odd as the situation had been, this was funny to watch.

And for once in his life, school wasn't boring at all.

* * *

Some Sasuke x Sakura fans will cheer on the first part of the chapter, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. ) There will be more scenes, suggesting many couplings, that might or might not happen. I'm just confusing you all because I'm so cruel. Think of it as a Soap Opera. A very sexy, anime-styled Soap Opera. 


	3. The Bloom Of Purple Lilacs

Welcome back into my world. Well, actually, that's not right, because in my world, I've got Sasuke and Naruto stuffed in my closet. 3 In the real world, alas, I don't. The chapter title may just as well confuse you all, but if you maybe did some research on the meanings of flowers…

* * *

**3. The Bloom of Purple Lilacs. **

_Running along a dark corridor, running, running, trying to reach it. The door at the end of the hallway. Why does it not get any closer? Why cannot he reach out and turn the handle? It's frustrating, all this. He's stuck like this, running, running in place. Never getting anywhere, no matter how hard he tries. _

_In a flash of bright light, he sees Naruto's sad face. That forced smile. The blue eyes reflected by the setting sun. The aura of a pure spirit leaks out of him. _

_But he's back in the hallway again, running, running. The door squeaks. And it opens just a crack. But that's already enough for Sasuke to see the light that pours through. And enough to feel the warmth radiated from the light. Now if only he knew how to move foreword, to reach his goals…_

Sasuke opened his eyes, and immediately knew he'd overslept. Since it wasn't a school day, this was no problem, but it was still slightly odd, considering the fact that he never wasted time on sleeping, even on the weekend. The raven-haired boy sat up, rubbing his eyes. The window nearest to him was stained with rain, the water running down, racing. Droplets pounded against the glass softly, making Sasuke want to close his eyes and just fall back into the world of warmth and darkness.

The dream…

He walked into the kitchen lost in thought.

The dream…

What did it mean? It had often come to him before; the running down the dark hallway. The closed door. Why had it opened now, at the thought of Naruto? Why did his rival hold the key to the secrets of this never-ending struggle?

Sasuke felt himself pause.

And since when did Naruto become good enough to actually be considered a rival worth mentioning!

Driving by his frustration for his lack of answers, he ate his breakfast quickly and even angrily, stuffing the food down his throat. Later afterwards, he came to sit down by the window to watch the raindrops run down the glass from the outside. Wrapping a blanket around himself, Sasuke sighed. It wasn't every day you felt like this.

The month of October ending and going into November brought them some showers. The weather had become quite windy, also stirring up some depressed moods. Sasuke considered himself unaffected, but apparently, he wasn't. Or maybe it was just all this confusion and the dream.

At last, Sasuke managed to pull on some pants and settled down at the table, his books and papers spread out around him. Picking up a pen, the famous Uchiha set to work, focused on only one thing – keeping his title of the best student in the school.

Slow hours passed by. After finishing his work, Sasuke made himself some late lunch and sat down once again, this time to work on his student council duties. Another couple of hours passed. Finally setting the finished work aside, Sasuke grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, not even listening to the words. Outside, the rain was just as in the morning. Pouring down lazily, soaking people's minds in the soft darkness below the clouds. A gray blanket enveloped Sasuke's mind, almost making him dose off on the table. Deciding that going out to eat today satisfied him beyond all logical reason, he pulled on his black jacket and headed out the door.

He lost track of time as he walked, listening to his shoes splash through the puddles softly. The rain beat against his hood, running down his longs bangs and dripping onto the front. Sasuke's dark shallow eyes gazed out into the streets. All other people, rushing along with umbrellas melted away to reveal a single stain of bright orange, wet from the rain.

Orange?

Sasuke blinked. Someone was walking among the crowd, wearing an orange hoodie. The person's blonde hair hung down limply. Sasuke blinked again.

Naruto? He mouthed the name, and immediately felt himself speed up. An unknown power made him attempt to catch up with his classmate, but in another second, the orange blot had disappeared, swallowed up by the falling water.

Sasuke didn't remember how long he stood there, brooding over what had just happened. Over his own reaction, over Naruto's odd occurrence. Why was the boy outside in this rain? Without anything to really cover his head? Why wasn't he at home, nice and safe?

Sasuke shook these thoughts out of his head and continued on stubbornly. He had to concentrate on getting himself dinner, not on his rivals.

Eventually, the crowd of people out on the streets thinned. The hour in which many adults finished work was over, and now Sasuke was left alone to wonder, still searching for a source of food which would satisfy him. He passed many little take-outs and restaurants, but none seemed appropriate. Finally giving up, knowing that he'd never decide, he made to head home, and this time, he'd be smart and take a bus.

There was a small bus stop up ahead, and seeing it, Sasuke rushed over to the only protection he had from the rain. He sat down on the bench under the roof and leaned tiredly against the metal wall. It smelled lightly of wet cigarettes. His eyes slowly shut, preparing to doze off.

"Uchiha?"

Sasuke bolted up. He rubbed his eyes and looked again to make sure he wasn't daydreaming.

"Uzumaki? So it was you! What the hell do you think you're doing out in this weather?"

Naruto glared at him. "I could ask you the same question." He stepped from one foot to another, as if he was nervous.

"Well, yeah, baka, but at least I have a waterproof jacket. You're soaked right through to the bone." Sasuke's eyes descended to the Ramen cup the blonde had in his hands. "At least come here."

Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "Wha?"

"Get under the roof and away from the rain, dolt."

Naruto nodded and shuffled over to Sasuke, taking a seat on the bench, but on the edge farthest away from his classmate. He looked sadly at his cup of noodles that was, no doubt cold and wet from walking around so much.

"I wanted to eat some Ramen, but since I didn't have any more left at home, I had to go out." He explained quietly.

Sasuke looked at him, frowning. "You're not gonna eat that, are you?"

"Well…"

"Idiot." Sasuke snapped. He immediately regretted using such a harsh tone when he saw Naruto wince slightly. What was going on? They were supposed to be rivals. Naruto wouldn't be bothered by such a thing… would he?

Naruto sneezed lightly, and wiped his nose. Sasuke scowled and rolled his eyes. He was crazy. Absolutely crazy. Why would he even think of such a thing as to…?

Noticing movement, Uzumaki glanced up. Sasuke had stood up from his spot and walked over to stand by Naruto, his hands in his pockets, dark eyes focused on Naruto's face. He reached over and took the Ramen Cup from Naruto, who immediately yelped aloud, surprised.

"What are you doing, I paid money for that!"

"Well then it was a good waste of money, you're not gonna eat that." He threw it into the trash can, leaving Naruto in a worst mood than ever. "I'll buy you another one." Okay, maybe not in the worst _ever_, but.

"Why?"

"Because, usuratonkachi, I don't want my rivals getting sick. They're not very easy to find." Sasuke took a seat next to Naruto and casually began to unbutton his jacket, not paying any mind to the fact that Naruto was staring at him. Taking off his jacket, the raven-haired boy threw it over Naruto's shoulders. The blonde looked at Sasuke like he was crazy. Unfortunately, he couldn't scoot any farther down the bench without falling off, and so he had to remain, the warmth of Sasuke's jacket against his back, and the presence of the boy himself on his left.

They sat like this, together, staring out into the rain for quite some time. The next time Naruto glanced over, Sasuke was sitting with his eyes closed, his lips slightly parted. His breaths were slow and steady, as if he was sleeping. Uzumaki didn't wake him up. Why would he? This was nice enough, to say the least, they weren't going at each other's throats, but sitting together like a couple of good friends. Maybe the Uchiha wasn't so bad after all. He'd offered Naruto his jacket as if he actually cared for him.

A bus came and went, but Naruto didn't bother to get up. For some reason, going back home didn't seem like such a welcome idea anymore. He felt weight on his shoulder, and glanced over. Sasuke's head was resting on it comfortably. Of course the famous Uchiha didn't know against whom he was leaning against. It would have been pretty embarrassing for him to wake up right now.

Naruto looked away. Why did it feel so perfectly okay for them to sit together like this? This was wrong. They should've been mouthing off to each other right about now. He should make his rival embarrassed, wake him up… be himself, at least…

A picture flashed inside his head, Sasuke, standing there, astonished, with Sakura only moments away from kissing him. Naruto could still feel the pain that pierced his heart. It had been so hard to accept the fact that they belonged together. Naruto wouldn't win Sakura. Ever. That's why he decided to be friends with her. Having a friendship was good. It was enough… wasn't it? But something was still missing. He just didn't get it. He'd never felt this before. Usually, all this thoughts were on proving his worth. Why did that all seem so pointless suddenly?

"Mmmn…" Sasuke stirred.

Naruto looked over at him again, frightened. He couldn't find them like this…! Quickly, he grasped Sasuke's shoulder and pushed him away, back into the same sitting position he'd been in before he dozed off. Sasuke blinked. He looked over at Naruto's hand which was still on his shoulder.

"What?" he asked in the same, toneless voice. Naruto didn't respond for a long time.

"The bus just came and went." He announced.

"Gah. Why didn't you wake me? Baka." Sasuke scowled, brushing the bangs back from his eyes and looking out into the rain. "Why is it still pouring? It's been like that since morning."

Naruto quickly took off the jacket and shoved it back into Sasuke's hands. "H-here."

"What?" Sasuke looked at it, then back to Naruto. "What's with you?"

The blonde jumped up suddenly. "Nothing. I gotta get home." And with that he dashed out into the rain. Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair thoughtfully. A bus stopped in front of him, and hesitantly, the boy got up and climbed on, leaving behind the strange memories.

XxX

Monday came like any other first day of the week would come. Students entered the school, laughing and talking, refreshed by the weekend. Sasuke among the few to arrive early already sat at his desk by the time of seven o' clock. Sakura was there, too, too busy and buried in her lists for the sports festival to talk about anything. At last, the bell rang. The students settled down and got ready for another long wait. Kakashi would be late, of course, as usual. And until he came, they would enjoy their free time. About fifteen minutes later, Sasuke glanced up at the clock. The teacher was due any minute now. And right on target the door swung open and Hatake-san came in, waving cheerfully and muttering some excuse for his absence.

Sasuke ignored his words, as usual, thinking about something else completely.

_Where's Uzumaki?_

A quick glance around the room told him that no one else had noticed. Perhaps they all thought that it wasn't anything surprising for him to skip school. He was, of course, the famously cursed idiot, and no one expected anything large from him. But still.

Math, Language, Biology.

No Naruto.

Gone. Disappeared.

Isn't it uncanny how the lack of one person can lower the noise level in such a harsh way?

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun, are you listening to me?"

Snapping out of it, Sasuke glanced over at Sakura, who was leaning over his shoulder with a worried expression on her face.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun? You look sick."

Sasuke shook his head slightly. "I'm fine. Just spacing."

Sakura stared at him. The famous collected Uchiha… spacing? "Umm… Well okay, but Iruka-sensei just told me to give you these." She handed him some papers. Looking over them quickly, Sasuke nodded.

"Right. This is the schedule, am I correct?"

"It sure looks like it. Do you know if the band is going to be playing on the roof on in the yard?" Sakura asked, a small frown forming. "Their club has been arguing about it since yesterday. It's havoc."

"They can have the roof. We don't need them crowded in front of the track." Sasuke stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait, uh… Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering if ummm…" Sakura's fingers flew to her skirt again, tugging at it nervously. The Uchiha felt a ping of recognition at these actions. "Are you going to be doing anything this Thursday?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, uh, there's a movie coming out, and if you want, maybe we could go see it together." Sakura said quickly, blurting it out. "I mean… if that's alright with you…"

Sasuke turned back towards the door, sliding it open. "I don't know yet." He said quietly and walked out, leaving Sakura behind.

How can one hallway be so lonely? You could walk forever, and never reach the end.

Hearing noises coming from behind a door, Sasuke stopped abruptly. The sign above the door reminded him that this was the nurse's office. Was someone… yelling? Slowly, he slid open the door, peeking inside. The scene that he came upon was nothing short of funny.

"I swear, I don't need your help! I feel fine!" The persistent blonde pushed the nurse back, attempting to get out of bed. The woman scowled, shoving him back down.

"Oh no you don't young man. You need rest!" she grabbed his arm and began to re-tie the bandages that surrounded it. Sasuke blinked. What had happened? Had Naruto gotten himself into a fistfight? He looked like hell, with a bunch of band-aids all over him. A black eye, a blue bruise on the neck.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" the nurse finally noticed him. Hands on her hips, an angry flash in the eye, she surveyed him from tip to toe.

"Oh, um, sorry. I was just wondering what was going on."

"Well, good for you. Come here and help me, then, maybe you could be the one to convince him to stay still." He motioned for Sasuke to come closet; and he did, although a bit hesitantly. "I need to check something very quickly. Do you think it will be troublesome if I leave Uzumaki-kun in your care?"

Sasuke stared at her, unable to speak. Finally, he mumbled something along the lines of misunderstanding, but she was already gone, and he was stuck in a room alone with the single person whom he'd wanted to kill right now. He did want to kill Naruto… didn't he?

"Geh. What a bother. She keeps on clinging to me, and even when I tell her I'm fine, she won't listen." The blonde rubbed his wrapped wrists.

"Well, you've finally found a girl who can't her hands off of you, aren't you happy?" Sasuke asked, smiling slightly, teasingly.

"Shuddup, Baka." Naruto made a face. "Help me escape here."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and glared at Naruto. "You're staying right here. Even I can see you're in bad shape. What happened to you, anyways? Did you trip of a pebble and fall down? That seems like something you'd do." He smirked, expecting Naruto to burst out in a fit of angry yelling, but none came.

Instead, he simply looked away. "None of your business. Think whatever you want." came the soft grunt.

Sasuke blinked. What was wrong with Naruto today? But before he could ask, there was a soft noise behind him, and the nurse came back.

"Oh, good, he's still here. At least he didn't try to jump out of the window, this is the third floor. You can go now." When Sasuke didn't move, the woman forcefully pulled him off of the edge of the bed and shoved him out of the door. "I have enough stubbornness to deal with today, Uchiha-kun, good bye!" and with that, she slammed the door in his face.

The stunned Sasuke sighed in defeat, running a hand through his hair. Naruto was acting weirder than usual. Perhaps it was because of yesterday? It had been pretty awkward. Maybe the blonde thought he was some sort of a freak. He didn't mean it like that. He only disliked seeing the boy all soaked and miserable and…

Shaking his head vigorously, Sasuke continued on with his previous journey.

Since when does one worry about a rival!

Sasuke sank into a state of deep thought. He dwelled on the things that had happened so suddenly. It was odd, how his reaction to the blonde baka has changed. He no longer felt the annoyance of before every time Naruto got near. What could it mean? Did they actually become friends?

Glancing up, the raven-haired boy realized that he'd finally reached his destination – room 103. He reached for the handle, but stopped short, hearing voices coming from inside. But none of those sounded like Iruka-sensei. Pressing his ear to the door, Sasuke listened.

"Are you sure no one will find us here, Toya-kun? I mean… Isn't this the room where the student council meets?" this was a nervous voice, but Sasuke still reckoned that this was a higher-grade student than him.

"Of course, idiot. Stop worrying. No one is gonna find us here." The rougher voice came. Sasuke's nose twitched as he smelt cigarette smoke. He scowled, getting ready to kick down the door and catch them in the act, but paused when he heard the conversation taking an uncanny turn.

"No one is gonna find us here… Not unless we're careless and get caught like Atsuya." The voice chuckled harshly. "Too bad he didn't have enough time to flee."

"Yes…But it was Garaa-san after all. He's one of the lower classmen, but he's scary. He beat the crap out of Atsuya, too, when he saw what we did to Uzumaki." The softer voice winced.

Sasuke felt himself freeze. Naruto?

"Ah well. He even got the wrong person. I was gonna fuck the little blonde myself, but he's so feisty. He even bit me." The rough voice was sprinkled with poison.

"Yes… But you hit him after that."

"I hit him before that, too. He tried to get away from us, so we had to teach him a lesson. I'm surprised he even tried to stand after we nearly broke his ankle. He's got some spunk, but I like that in an uke. Still…" there was an inhale, presumably of the smoke. "He got what he deserved. And we didn't get caught. It's too bad I couldn't fuck him, I only got one finger in before we heard Garaa." There was a yawn.

_SLAM!_

Both boys turned around, staring in horror at the one who'd just nearly broken through the door. The dimmed light in the room slightly lit his form, but the rest were in shadows. The eyes shone, full of blazing rage.

The older one stepped back.

"W-who the hell are you?" he dropped his cigarette hastily before the intruder could see, but it seemed that he no longer had the interest in any of that. Toya gulped. Those eyes… were filled with the intent of murder.

Sasuke had lost himself. He was alone, buried deep within the darkness of his own mind, hiding in the shadows. He was no longer himself. White, hot blazing rage over took his whole body. Adrenaline shot through his veins. Dimly, he could hear his own hastened heartbeat.

"I'll kill you!" the roar came out as more of an animal that human. Lunging at the boys, he delivered a well-aimed punch that momentarily lifted the 6'2" body into the air before it fell down in a crumpled heap. The monster that was Sasuke Uchiha turned to the next victim. Trembling, the boy stepped back.

"W-wait, please!"

A stifled scream came, and blood stained the floor. Doubling over and holding his stomach, the younger boy fell to his knees, coughing up the red liquid. Sasuke stood right beside him, not a glint of mercy in his eyes. With a kick, he threw the boy to the floor, like the other. Speaking of the other, Toya was attempting to get up.

"D-damn… y-you…" he mumbled, holding his jaw, which didn't seem to be sitting right. Sasuke stepped foreword, and, grabbing him by the throat holding him against a wall.

"Listen." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but the cool of it stung like a thousand needles. "Listen carefully."

Toya attempted to choke something out, but all that came forth was a dry attempt at intake of air.

"If you ever lay a hand on Naruto… ever again… I'll make sure no one finds your remains. I'll make your pain worth dying." His eyes narrowed even more. "Understand?"

There was a cough, but no answer. The Uchiha didn't bother to loosen his grip. "Do you understand?" he repeated calmly.

"Y-Ye…" managed the young man.

"Good." Sasuke threw him aside, not even bothering to watch as he lay on the floor, holding his bruised throat and coughing. "We'll make it a deal. As long as no one finds out about what I've done to you… I'll make sure that what you did to Uzumaki doesn't get out."

"Of course." Nodded the younger one eagerly, crawling over to his fallen friend. "We won't tell…"

Sasuke nodded, and turned around, walking out of the classroom and shutting the door behind him. Once he was far enough away, the Uchiha allowed himself to slump, leaning heavily against a wall. Sweat beaded his forehead. Slowly, he looked down at his trembling hands.

"What's gotten into you, Sasuke?" he mumbled. "What's going on?" hugging himself, Uchiha slid down onto the floor.

"Sasuke-kun?" a voice came from down the hallway. Sasuke glanced up. Standing and brushing off his pants, he turned just in time to see Sakura appear. "Sasuke-kun, where are you? The last class has started, but you're missing. What were you doing, the teacher expects you to be back by now." She said, then glanced down at his hands. "Sasuke-kun, is that blood?" her eyes widened.

"I tripped and fell…" Sasuke mumbled, wiping off his palms on his pants in the most uncharacteristic way ever.

"Oh…" Sakura seemed worried. "Sasuke-kun, maybe you should go to the nurse. You've been acting really odd all day. You might have a fever…"

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, turning away from her. "Y-yeah…" he mumbled. "But let's go back to class. I feel alright now."

Sakura paused, but once he began walking away from her, she had no choice but to follow. "Sasuke-kun, wait up for me!"

XxX

The orange light poured into the nurse's office, tracing Naruto's outline. His peaceful expression and shut eyes made him seem like another person. The school had decided to keep him there for a day, just because there was no one back at home to take care of him. At first, he didn't like the idea, but soon it became obvious that he was simply too tired to argue. It was for the best, anyways.

The door noiselessly swung open and Sasuke Uchiha stepped inside. He walked up to the bed, looking down at Naruto without anything written on his face. Slowly, he extended a hand to touch he boy's forehead gently. Brushing the hair from his face, Sasuke leaned closer to examine it. So the usuratonkachi was capable of being silent after all.

Naruto's lips parted slightly and he mumbled something in his sleep. Sasuke leaned in even more, trying to hear what he'd said, but to no avail. To hold himself up, the raven-haired placed a hand near Naruto's pillow. His eyes shut and opened again, as if in a trance. Naruto's face glowed a deep golden in the light of the sunset. He was…

Sasuke's lips hovered above Naruto's uncertanly. What was this feeling…?

"Sasuke…" came the sleepy whisper. The Uchiha stumbled back, his breathing heavy.

_What is this feeling? My blood is burning. Why… is my heart pounding so hard?

* * *

_

The third chapter is finally DONE! I spent more time on this one, but not because it's particularly longer. I just got lazy, and although I walked around with the ideas in my head, I couldn't will my lazy side to depart. Plus, I was watching Naruto episodes, and couldn't tear myself away from you-tube. dodges inanimate objects thrown at her for being a lazy bum so uh…. The story shall continue soon?


	4. The Collision of Light and Dark

Uh…I may just be receiving some glares, due to the fact that I've neglected posting this chapter. The reason is – I was grounded from the computer for quite some time. It was unfortunate, but we all have to deal with this age and all the shit that comes along with it. So… as long as this new chapter is here… enjoy it.

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**4. The Collision of Light and Dark.**

"Oi, Sasuke, why are you here so early?"

Sasuke was sitting at his desk, his face hidden behind his folded arms. He was just dozing off, trying to catch some sleep, like any other normal person who'd be foolish enough to set their alarm clock time to four in the morning and come to school at five by accident. The tired Uchiha looked up wearily.

"Usuratonkachi?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with his palms and yawning. "I could ask you the same question."

Ignoring the challenge to get mad at the nickname, Naruto crossed his arms. "Because I stayed here for the night, of course. I just woke up right now, and it's not like I did any of my homework, so I better use this time as… why are you looking at me like that?"

"Are you sure you're allowed to get out yet? Did you get approval from the nurse?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke. Since when did the Uchiha worry about his rival? "I uh… Actually, I snuck out. But I'm alright now. I swear. All of my bruises are healed." He smiled reassuringly, but the way Sasuke was staring at him was just plain freaky. It was like he knew everything… "Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you about what happened yesterday…"

Sasuke cast Naruto a startled glance.

"… You see, you probably suspected it, and so… I got into a really nasty fistfight. I really was sort of stupid to do it." Naruto forced a laugh. "But you know me, uh…"

Sasuke lowered his head, hiding his eyes from view again. He didn't respond.

_Liar. You don't need to do that. Idiot._

Naruto stared at the floor, allowing himself to frown, knowing Sasuke wouldn't be looking anyway. Of course, why would the great Uchiha care for him? They stayed in this position for quite some time, in the classroom alone, the darkness of the early morning bathing each of them in shadows. Sasuke made no move to try to acknowledge Naruto's odd acts, and Naruto allowed himself to relax, just standing there, looking at Sasuke. He'd found it a good sport lately; staring at Sasuke. Analyzing him. Comparing him to other boys. This was all natural, of course, he was a rival, and Naruto had learned to respect his rivals. There was nothing wrong with staring. Nothing at all.

But there was something wrong with actually having his heart's pace speed up every time he caught sight of those dark eyes.

_It's not like that_. Naruto screamed inside his head. _It's just because he's a damn well idiot, and you hate him so much, it actually makes you want to die when you look at him. That's all._

But that wasn't it. It was no use lying; Naruto didn't hate Sasuke. A deep sigh escaped his throat. Stupid. He was stupid.

"Hey, Uzumaki." Came the mumble.

Naruto looked up.

"Sit down and get your homework done, baka, isn't that what you came here for?" Sasuke didn't even look up when he spoke, so Naruto was allowed the courtesy of walking right up to the desk, and then taking his seat right behind the Uchiha while keeping his eyes steadily trained. It was, somewhat satisfying to be so close to the boy even during lessons.

Sasuke peered out carefully as Naruto walked by. What were these absences? Naruto didn't even return the 'baka' comment as he usually would. Sasuke's heart thudded against his chest.

_Oh, god… Maybe he knows about how I almost kissed him yesterday…_

Sasuke pushed the thought away. Ridiculous. If he'd known, he'd have a fit by now, screaming, cursing and all, calling Sasuke gay... Sasuke groaned, and immediately regretted it, because he felt Naruto stop scribbling just behind him.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"Nothing. I just forgot to turn my paper in, that's all."

"So even the legendary Uchiha has flaws of his own."

Sasuke grunted something in return. This was so damn _frustrating_. He couldn't even talk normally now, could no longer act as a rival. Flaws. Yeah, flaws. The one single major flaw. Falling in love with a _guy_, not to mention someone as clumsy, careless, hyperactive and knuckleheaded as Naruto.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it was just his hormones. Hormones can make you think crazy stuff, wasn't that right? If that was so, he was just in that little stage. And maybe sometime soon, maybe even tomorrow, he'd be hitting himself on the head for being so stupid as to think he'd fallen in love – haha – of all people – haha – with Naruto.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Maybe.

Oh, how much he hated all of this.

Jumping as if he'd just been shocked, Sasuke spun around to discover that the odd sensation only came from Naruto's poking of his back with a pen.

"Jeezum, Uchiha, you don't have to freak out like that. I just wanted to see if you could let me borrow your language book." The blonde mumbled, sounding hurt at Sasuke reaction. The older boy glared at him.

"No, get you own book." He snarled, turning back around. He immediately regretted at, as the silence from behind his back thickened. Had he really hurt Naruto's feelings this time? He really was a baka. Why couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut—

"You don't have to be that bitchy about it." Naruto stood up right in front of Sasuke's desk, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed in anger and pain. "Just because you're the great ice prince of the school doesn't mean you can do anything you want. I was trying to be nice, but I guess I shouldn't expect a return of feelings."

Sasuke's heart missed a beat. _Return of feelings._

"Here are you feelings!" the raven-haired one stood up so suddenly his desk nearly fell over. Facing Naruto, he scowled, not caring just how much his face was burning up right now. Maybe it was already crimson. Who cared? Naruto would assume it was rage. "Fuck. Off."

The punch came unexpectedly, and before Sasuke could dodge, he felt his face being pushed to the left with the force of the blow. Stumbling back, he gasped, holding his aching jaw, then gazed up to Naruto. Maybe his vision was blurred, but did it look like Naruto was blushing? Were those tears glistening in his eyes?

"You're just a selfish bastard." Gasped Naruto. Sasuke leapt on top of him, and in moments the two were tangled up in one of the worst fights ever, trying to bring each other as much pain as humanly possible, punching, kicking, tearing, and even biting. At the same time, though, their hearts stung with confusion of their own feelings.

Sasuke's knee came out, making contact with Naruto's hip. The blonde let out a startled gasp, all breath escaping from him. Pain twisted his face, and before even realizing it, Sasuke backed off, his brain being infested with memories of yesterday. Of what he'd heard… Of what Naruto went through…

_What kind of a monster are you, Sasuke, to be doing something like this?_

Naruto slowly opened one eye, noticing that the rain of fists had stopped. His azure eyes caught Sasuke's opal ones, only half a meter away from his own face. Slowly, the aching in his hip bone wore away. But why did Sasuke cease the fight? Did he see Naruto's reaction? Was he taking pity?

"S-Sasuke?" mumbled Naruto, sitting up and rubbing his new bruises. "What's wrong?"

The Uchiha's face was pale, his hair messed up. His eyes were darker than before, shallower. He was trembling lightly, clutching his own arms, as if he had just done something completely horrible, just beaten up a helpless puppy.

"I'm sorry." Came the choked whisper.

Naruto gulped. "Hu-huh? What do you mean you're sorry? We were fighting, you dolt. When you're fighting, you're not supposed to say sorry, you're supposed to beat the stuffing out of each other." With relief, he noticed that his words had some effect – Sasuke was looking up at him, the color returning to his skin.

"I guess you'd know best." He said.

Naruto chuckled, wiping the blood off of a scratch. Noticing that his shirt had been unbuttoned during their battle, he put it back into its normal state again. Sasuke was doing the same, attempting to get his hair to lie down. "You look like a scarecrow."

Sasuke cast him a glare, but this glare - unlike so many others he'd gotten this morning, was soaked through with silent, warm laughter. "You're not too good yourself, dobe."

"Teme." Retorted Naruto.

"Usuratonkachi."

"Baka."

They smiled in spite of each other, and allowed some silent peace to pass through. At last, Sasuke sighed, looking at Naruto.

"Are you alright?"

"I told you, idiot, this was a fight, and in fights--"

"Just shut up and answer the question already, you're as stubborn as a mule." Sasuke leaned closer, and Naruto prayed silently he wouldn't see the blush that was creeping it's way onto his cheeks.

"Uh… I'm… yeah."

"Good." Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, but Naruto didn't get up from the floor. Maybe he'd just imagined it, but for a second back there, when Sasuke's hand drifted past his face, did it really stroke his forehead gently? Naruto blinked. Even Sasuke, with his acts of superiority wouldn't stoop down low enough to ruffle Naruto's hair… would he?

At last, Naruto decided that it was stupid to bother himself over it, and besides, he'd liked the feeling. It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted, but it was a lot more than he could have ever hoped for. Sasuke probably thought of him as a little brother by now. Ah well. It was better than nothing. A lot better than nothing. Maybe Sasuke would even let Naruto hug him –

The blonde stopped short, realizing what he was thinking about.

"Are you gonna sit on the floor all day long?" Sasuke was sitting at his desk, resting his chin on top of his hands, smirking in Naruto's direction. Uzumaki stuck out his tongue in that cute immature way he had.

"Shuddup." And with that, he rose and walked back to his desk.

The sun slowly began to rise over the city of Tokyo. Sasuke, engulfed in his work, forgot to care about why Naruto was being so quiet, and didn't even notice anything until he heard the soft mumbling from behind him. Turning around in his chair, Sasuke watched the sleeping boy's face light up by the rays of the sunshine. Soft shadows ran along the frame of his face. The Uchiha watched these shadows move as the minutes passed by and the sun climbed higher. Orange light flooded the room. Sighing inaudibly, Sasuke leaned in closer to Naruto's face, stopping his breathing in order to keep the annoying baka asleep.

Naruto's lips parted slightly, and he shifted his folded hands to make a better pillow. Before anything else could change, Sasuke touched Naruto's forehead lightly with his lips. When he pulled back, he saw that Naruto was smiling, his eyes shut tight. He probably thought Sasuke was Sakura… Or someone else important to him.

But this only depressed him even more, and he turned away and back to his desk to return to his work, not even noticing how right behind his back, Naruto's eyes parted slightly and he smiled up at the back of Sasuke's head.

**XxX**

_Is it just me or is Naruto glaring in this general direction? _

"Sasuke-kun, you're acting really odd again today, are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" Sakura was latched on to his arm like a leech. They were walking down the hall towards the exit, deciding to have lunch outside today. Sasuke had gotten used to her hanging around him so much, and even clinging to him physically on occasions, and he really didn't mind that much, but it seemed like Naruto did mind. Very much.

_Great going, Sasuke, now he hates you utterly and completely, because you've taken Sakura away from him, as well_. Sasuke scowled, taking a seat in the shade of a tree in the school yard. He opened his lunchbox and began eating, sulkily ignoring Sakura's constant babble right beside him. The only time he glanced up was when he noticed a certain blonde baka heading in his direction.

Sakura had also seen him. "Do you need, something, Naruto?" she asked, as if he was annoying her by simply standing there.

"No. Sorry, am I interrupting your date?" Uzumaki's voice was incredibly cold. Sasuke almost flinched. Almost.

Red flooded Sakura's face. "Get outta here." She hissed irritably. Sasuke met Naruto's blue eyes and caught them flooded in naked envy. He raised his eyebrows questionably.

"Well…?" he asked. Naruto huffed angrily, turned on his heel and stomped away. The two watched him go, each of them wondering what was going on inside that blonde head of hair.

Sakura frowned. "Come to think of it, even the baka had been acting weirder than usual, and that's saying something." She turned to Sasuke. "Did you two have a fight?"

He looked away. "Not… exactly."

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke turned back to her, only to be even more surprised, for the great Sakura, known to be his number-one fan, was glaring at him openly. He blinked at her blankly.

"I understand this might be rude, but… You shouldn't try lying to me, Sasuke-kun. I can see something is wrong. You also shouldn't underestimate a woman's intuition. You two have been acting really edgy around each other lately. Every time you cross paths, your eyes meet, and the atmosphere tenses up. Everyone's aware of it, Sasuke-kun. It's clear as day. You two are like magnets, repelled by each other because..." Sakura bit her lip, not wanting to say the next phrase.

Thankfully, Sasuke had it figured out. "Because we're so similar." Voiced he dryly.

"Well, yes, in a way." Sakura was blushing again. "Not so much, really, it's just because you two can see your goals so clearly ahead of you. You know what you want, and you give it your all. You can both be stubborn, and nothing can get in your way… But oh, Sasuke-kun, you're different, of course, too, because you're such a gentleman, and Naruto-kun, well, he's… He's not."

Sasuke nodded, not wanting to meet her gaze. She'd figured it out well enough, and once again, he was right to have faith in her intelligence. But what did it help? It only unnerved him more.

_Two magnets, repelling each other because we're so similar._ Sasuke blinked, the gears in his head turning cautiously. _But aren't magnets that have different poles attracted to each other? _

This thought was the most troubling of all.

_Maybe…When we show each other our alternative sides… we are attracted as well_.

Sasuke's eyes rose to the tall figure on the other side of the yard. Naruto was laying on a tree-branch, looking down at some others and laughing at a joke. His face lit up with his smile. Looking at it, Sasuke felt warmth spreading through his body.

_This is all too crazy to comprehend. _

"Sasuke-kun? You know… you still haven't given me an answer about Thursday." Sakura's voice crept into his ear.

"Nani?" Sasuke snapped out of his daze. "Oh, Thursday, I um… I think I have to stay late to help with the preparations on Thursday." He closed his empty lunchbox and wrapped it back up. "I'm in charge of construction, props management and organization… and besides, I'm also on the publishing and planning committee."

"Oh, that's right. You do so much, Sasuke-kun, it amazes me." Sakura did the same as him and stood up, getting ready to head back to fifth period. "And you're going to be a relay runner for your team, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. Thing might get a bit hectic, though." Sasuke began walking back towards the school. The cold November wind blew about them noisily, rushing them back inside. In the soft shade of it all, Sasuke didn't notice two blue eyes fixed on his back.

But Naruto could only sigh.

**XxX**

_The soft lines of his face, the curve of his cheekbone. The slant of his dark eyes, like pools of deep water. The wisps of black hair that falls over his face, casting soft shadows. The grace of his hand as it runs over the lines in his notebook, summoning lines to form words, symbols._

Thank god for super-fast reaction skills. By the time Sasuke glanced over to the windowsill, Naruto had already made sure he was looking the other way. The Uchiha cleared his throat.

"Tell me again why you're here?"

The harmless question was probably meant to drive Naruto away, but he didn't budge.

"Because I dunwanna go home. It's cold outside." He shrugged.

"Yes well, the school closes at 8 pm, that's only an hour off. I'm gonna leave soon and you better, too, because you don't have the keys to lock the classroom door." Sasuke tapped his watch with his index finger.

"Fine." Scoffed Naruto, jumping down and grabbing his book-bag. "I just wanted to hang out here."

"And bother me?" Sasuke suggested quietly but casually.

"Have I been bothering you so far?" growled Naruto.

"Well…" Sasuke paused to come up with a better answer to that question than the obvious, but failed. "No."

"Correct. Finally, you realize just how much of an asshole you can be."

"You didn't seem to think so this morning." Sasuke mumbled, but Naruto heard him and bit his lip.

"Well, you were…uh… nicer this morning. For some reason…" he felt his face warm up and caught sight of Sasuke staring at him.

"Uzumaki? Are you…" an amused smile found its way onto his lips. "blushing?"

"No, why would I be?" Naruto set his jaw, but he couldn't stop his face from growing red. "I'm not… I gotta go!" he spun around and made for the door, but Sasuke caught a hold on his shirt collar, pulling him backwards.

"Hold on a second, let me see your face."

"No, goddamnit, let go of me, you bastard!" Naruto struggled wildly, flailing in the dark-haired boy's tight grip. A random kick in the knee made Sasuke let go with a gasp of pain, and Naruto dashed outside into the hallway, panting slightly, his face still hot. As he ran down, heading for the exit, however, he saw that Sasuke was actually chasing after him.

"What do you want?" Naruto yelled desperately. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Just stop running away for a minute, you baka!" came the angry response, in rhythm with the thudding of footsteps on the school floors.

Naruto slid into another hallway, connected to the main one and ran. He could only hope to lose Sasuke in the maze of the school classrooms now. Being such a wonderer, he knew the layout of the building much better, so he had the trump card. But Sasuke was a fast runner, and determination seemed to keep him on Naruto's tail.

Naruto risked another look over his shoulder, to see how he was keeping up – and that was his big mistake. Going at such a speed didn't give him enough time to see the turn of the halls, and he nearly crashed into the nearest wall. Turning around quickly and getting ready to run away once again. He found out that he was too late. Sasuke was way too close.

Before he knew what was going on, Sasuke's palm came to rest on the wall right above Naruto's right shoulder, and his body blocked out the only escape route. Naruto, breathing heavily, refused to meet the boy's gaze. He pressed himself tighter to the wall, sensing Sasuke so close. His face grew hotter still.

"Good. Now that I've got you cornered, we can have a proper talk." Sasuke was panting lightly, too, worn out by the race. "Why the hell did you run?"

Naruto refused to talk. His lips pressed together, he finally had the courage to send a killer glare up into the boy's dark opal eyes.

"You were blushing, too. Are you mad at me for stealing your crush away from you?"

"Wha…?" Naruto blinked up at him, seeming completely lost.

"Sakura." Sasuke reminded him.

"Oh, Sakura-chan. Well, she's uh…" Naruto blushed a bit more. "She's not…"

"Are you trying to tell me you don't like Sakura-chan anymore?" Sasuke stared at him suspiciously.

"Well I don't… I do, but…"

"Do you like somebody else now? Who is it? Maybe it's Hyuuga? That shy girl? I heard she likes you."

"No, it's not like that, she's nice, but…"

"Than whom?"

Naruto suddenly realized something. "Why do you even care, anyways?" he snapped back.

Sasuke didn't flinch. "Just interested."

But despite his cool act, Naruto saw the hint of nervousness in his actions. The way he shifted from one foot to another to regain his balance slightly. Only someone who'd been studying Sasuke's actions so carefully, with so much devotion, would have noticed. And Naruto noticed.

"Are you? Maybe you like Sakura now? You've finally come to a compromise with her affections? Is that it? Or…"

"Why are you so nosy?" snarled Sasuke.

"Just giving you a taste of your own medicine." Naruto felt back in charge. But as Sasuke leaned in even closer, he was reminded that he was actually the one that was trapped, backed up against the wall with no escape.

"Right. Well, isn't that nice of you?"

Naruto gulped, but didn't let his courage slip away from him.

"Indeed it is nice of me, even nicer than that time when I stopped myself from telling the whole school about the time you nearly kissed Sakura." He said, taking the risk.

Sasuke's expression hardened. He seemed to be paralyzed with rage. This time, Naruto actually decided to listen to his consciousness and stop getting himself into more trouble.

"You didn't seem too keen on it yourself." Whispered Sasuke coldly. "You seemed pretty depressed."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who goes around making out with everyone he sees. You think you're so great, but you're not, Sasuke, you're not. Sakura-chan just fell for you because you're the great Uchiha, she has no idea of your own personality. She's just going for you because everyone else is. You've blinded her, and then made her cry, and you're… you're just a really sick bastard, and I really hate you, Sasuke, I--"

Naruto's eyes flashed open. Drifting out of his angry complaints, he suddenly felt just how close Sasuke really was.

_How can I control this? I feel like someone else is taking possession of my body. This is impossible to control - this impulse, that longing for him… _

Naruto leaned foreword, pressing his lips against Sasuke's. He shut his eyes, refusing to realize the stupidity of his actions. He knew, deep inside, that any second now, Sasuke would jump away, startled and disgusted. Any second… Any minute…

But it didn't come. As a matter of fact, after some time, Naruto felt Sasuke pull towards him even more, deepening their kiss. Naruto's heart did back flips.

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what am I doing_?

_I'm standing in a school hallway, kissing Uchiha Sasuke. THE Uchiha Sasuke. _

Finally, Naruto pulled away with a little squeak that he couldn't suppress. His eyes stubbornly locked on his shoes.

Now what?

"You know, if you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask." Sasuke's voice was really so uncaring, Naruto felt like punching him. He felt out of breath already, blushing furiously, wishing with all his heart this wasn't a dream. And Sasuke…

The azure eyes found Sasuke's face. He was completely calm, not at all surprised or disgusted.

"I… I… What? You…" His fingers flew to his lips, trying to remember the sensation.

"You did like it, then." Sasuke shook his head, smiling mysteriously. "Well, whatever. It was a lot better than the first time." He pulled away, stepping aside and, at last, clearing the way for Naruto. But the blonde didn't move.

"Wait… What do you mean? Why did you do it?" Naruto was still blushing, feeling so completely lost.

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke shrugged. "Well, if you don't get it…" he turned his back to Uzumaki and began to stroll away. A smirk formed on his lips.

"Wait a second! Come back here and explain this to me! Sasuke!" Naruto didn't know what to do. He was happy beyond words, confused, startled, scared and angry all at the same time. What was he supposed to do! What did Sasuke expect?

"Sasuke, you god forsaken bastard asshole!" yelled Naruto at the top of his lungs. But this didn't have any desired affect. Instead, the only thing he got in return was a soft laugh, and a phrase which only confused him even more.

"I love you too, dobe."

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YES, finished. This took longer than I expected. I had to re-write the last part a couple of times until I felt satisfied with it. As you can tell, I really love evening scenes. I'll try to alternate the settings a bit more in the next few chapters. Anyways, Sasuke and Naruto's relationship finally lifts up off of the ground. The confession might have seemed a bit rough along the edges, but I think the boys acted on their instincts, and that's what matters. I really love an angry and frustrated Naruto. see ya next time!


	5. The Snow Day Date

This is very exciting for me, to write this chapter. It started out as just an easy and funny day, and turned into a full-on drama show. To let some interested people know; I DO NOT HATE SAKURA. I hardly hate anyone in the series. I try to portray her character as much as possible, never forgetting to mix her good parts with the bad. So no, to all of you people out there who are thinking that I'm gonna leave her in the dust; I'M NOT. It just adds to the soap-opera-ness to have her as one of the almost-main characters.

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**5. The Snow Day Date.**

Sasuke shuddered, tugging on his dark-blue scarf, trying to get it to go tighter and failing. The choking sensation didn't appear to be as bad as what he was already experiencing – frost on the tips of his damp morning-shower hair.

The snow scrunched happily beneath his boots as he crossed the street, looking for cars carefully. When he stopped, he was in front of the one apartment complex which, a week ago, he would have avoided gladly.

"Oh, wow, Sasuke!" the voice floated down, surpassing the snowflakes with ease, and making the dark-haired boy jump. "It really is you!"

Two floors above on a balcony, Naruto stood, waving furiously to him. To Sasuke's great shock, he was wearing nothing but a couple of shorts and a T-shirt. Hopping from one bare foot to the other, he was obviously trying to ignore the frosted floor beneath him.

"I couldn't believe it, I thought I saw you outside, but I really wasn't sure, so I came out to look and you're here, you're--" until the last moment, Naruto was leaning over the railing, talking fast with excitement. Suddenly, his hand had slipped on the newly-formed ice and he came tumbling down, uttering a single startled yelp. Sasuke dove for him, but didn't make it in time, and the blonde landed into a pile of fresh snow, sending the white powder flying in all directions.

"Naruto, goddamn you baka!" Sasuke stuck his hand into the mess and pulled out the shivering boy by the wrist forcefully. "What do you think you're doing! Are you trying to commit suicide? Hey! Quit laughing!"

But Naruto couldn't stop the giggles that jumped up into his throat.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Sasuke lifted Naruto up into his arms, one arm beneath the knees, the other holding up the upper part of the back. Naruto's arms immediately wrapped around his neck for support and he looked down.

"Whoa, Sasuke, you're strong."

"Keep your mouth shut or I'll drop you." Sasuke growled in response. Naruto complied, but the happy grin that formed on his face long ago refused to go away. Forgetting all about the cold, Sasuke carried the younger boy inside the building and all the way up onto his floor and up to his door.

"Let's hope it isn't locked." He said, letting Naruto down. Uzumaki opened it.

"Nah, I lost the key a while ago." He trotted inside, kicking away random piles of clothing and school supplies that littered the floor.

"Lost the key…" Sasuke also stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "What if someone tries to break in and steal something?" he tried to navigate his way around the room without stepping on anything and found this immensely difficult.

"What's there to steal?" Naruto responded simply. "There's not much here. A fridge, a bed, a TV. I don't even keep enough food around for one to actually fill himself."

"How responsible." Sasuke noted, although he'd expected as much for Naruto. Apparently, he wasn't at all bothered by his lack of money. "Now speaking of responsible, you should be responsible for your own health and hop into a hot shower after pulling that stunt."

"I'll be ok." Naruto said, waving it off, but before he could protest any more, Sasuke grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar (which was, by the way, cold and damp from the snow) and dragged him to where the bathroom was. Throwing the struggling boy inside, he shut the door and held it as Naruto's fists pounded from the other side. "No fair, Sasuke, let me outta here, I'm telling you I'll be fine! Sasuke! Urgh…" seeming to give up, Naruto stomped over to the bathtub. "Fine, baka."

Chuckling, Sasuke threw off his knee-long winter coat and scarf to reveal the black turtleneck underneath and set out to pick up the mess that was in the living room. By no means could he pick up everything, but some tiding up would do Naruto good. Ramen cups, candy wrappers, broken chopsticks, notebook papers, homework, pencils, pens, dirty laundry, old T-shirts, TV remote, books, protractor, lunchbox, half-eaten muffin, disposable coffee cups, old milk carton way past it's due date, poster board for a school project…

The bathroom door clicked open and Naruto stumbled out, barely seen in the steam that rolled into the main room right along with him. Sasuke blinked to adjust his vision and then saw Naruto, a towel wrapped around his bottom, his wet hair dripping all over the place, his skin damp from the heat.

Ignoring the fluttering in his stomach, Sasuke picked himself up and walked over to Naruto, grabbing a small towel on his way and throwing it on top of the blonde head.

"Your floor's gonna be wet, dobe." He said quietly, drying Uzumaki's hair.

"Teme." Naruto pouted, then stopped, relaxing to the Uchiha's gentle touch. His eye lids fell halfway in a sleepy manner and he stopped moving completely, seeming to enjoy the closeness he and Sasuke were sharing. The dark-haired boy could only watch curiously, for he had never seen Naruto so relaxed before. Usually, the idiot was always excited, or maybe nervous. But alertness was a part of him.

Naruto glanced up just in time to see Sasuke lean in before their lips came together in a small kiss. A shudder went through Naruto, just like before, and he shut his eyes, enjoying the sensation. Sasuke cupped his cheek and Naruto pulled foreword, their tongues colliding.

Sasuke, happy to be alone to their affections for once, eagerly explored Naruto's mouth. To him, it felt like nothing could ever make him satisfy the thirst to be with Naruto, as close as possible. Finally getting bored with the tongue-wrestling, he proceeded to nibble on Naruto's lower lip. The towel that was until now resting on Naruto's head slipped off gently and fell to their feet. Sasuke's hands traveled to Naruto's back, pulling him closer.

Naruto's mind was reeling. His whole body was vibrating in a small shudder, and he could almost hear the hum of his own excitement. Sasuke's gentle touch seemed to make him want…

Naruto's eyes snapped open. It was as if a moment ago, he was drowning in something incredibly good, like chocolate maybe. And now, he was dimly aware that Sasuke had left his mouth alone and was licking the whole length of his collarbone. And it felt_ good_, but…

"Sas… Sasuke…" Naruto gasped aloud.

"Hmm?" Sasuke looked up, also awakening from their little dream.

"Uh, we should… I mean, we… you didn't come here to make out, did you?"

And from there on, Naruto only had to watch as the transformation took place, and the regular, aroused, teenaged boy was once again replaced by Sasuke Uchiha, the cold and uncaring. Disappointment seemed to flicker in the eyes of both of them but none voiced their thoughts.

"Right. Well, um… your place is a mess."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I already kinda had that figured out." Before Sasuke could register what even happened, Naruto hopped out of the towel and into his own clothes.

"Quick changer?" he commented.

Naruto suddenly burst out laughing, without making a comeback. Or maybe it's because he didn't voice it.

"What?" Sasuke grunted impatiently.

"You're disappointed."

"That's shit, Uzumaki, I'm an Uchiha, not a perv."

"Or maybe you're both."

"You know, this TV remote right here…" he picked it up casually. "How much do you think it'd hurt if it hit you in the middle of your forehead right now?"

Naruto answered by ducking behind his couch. The object sailed over his head and hit the far wall, but he knew that Sasuke didn't really try to hit him.

"Alright, now that we've got our daily dose of bickering for the day, can you please tell me why you came to my apartment?"

"Because, it's a snow day, and I've got nothing better to do."

"A snow day?" Naruto stood up to peek outside. "Amazing. And I thought I was skipping school because I'm too lazy to trudge through that blizzard."

"Well, yes, but, like you, the rest of the school isn't too happy about it either." Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and stood, observing Naruto as the blonde pressed his forehead against the glass of the window and watched the cars roll by outside with innocent curiosity.

At least now, he could study the boy without feeling bad about it anymore. Accepting his fate took some time, but when he did finally stop worrying about turning gay and falling in love with Naruto, he was able to breathe easier. Being the calculating Uchiha that he was, he knew what to do to make himself feel easier about a lot of hard things. Lately, his hobby had turned to marking off everything wonderful and cute about Naruto. That's what he liked best. That innocence. That wide, blue-eyed innocence and golden heart that lay underneath the bratty child exterior. Naruto acted younger than his age, although Sasuke suspected that he'd been through a lot more than most adults have.

This is how they were different. Despite the pain that ate away at their souls, they dealt with it differently. The hardships of destiny made Sasuke build an iron wall in front of everyone, not letting any light pass through. It had separated him from the outside world, made him realize just how much easier it was when he was alone, and he didn't have to feel responsible for the happiness of his 'friends', and he could just focus on his own success. It was easy, but at times, he felt empty, not expecting anything from the people around him. Not really wanting to depend on anyone. Living this way had made his world turn gray and pointless. It was so _boring_.

But Naruto was different. Instead of shutting himself out, he stubbornly (although at times stupidly) kept on pursuing attention from people. He never gave up on trying to make himself noticed, and it paid off. Threats, mockery, mean comments bounced off of him like sand grains. Nothing mattered to Uzumaki more than the pursuit of his goal. He always saw the gold at the end of the rainbow, he knew it was there, even though it was so very far away. And even though he always sought to fit in and be a part of the group, he had two feet on which he could walk alone, holding his chin high in a crowd of enemies. But Sasuke, wondering about it, and knowing that it all couldn't be that great, suspected that at times, Naruto did feel the immense pain of it all. Sometimes, that tough exterior, the mask that he always wore, that smile; it shattered. And Uzumaki, even if only for a moment, suspected that it's not worth that in the end, it's not worth that pain.

Naruto nearly jumped when he felt Sasuke's arms wrap around his waist from behind. He turned his head sideways slightly.

"Sasuke?" he mumbled questioningly, although the hug had been welcomed by him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just didn't get enough sleep. I study a lot." Sasuke mumbled into the back of Naruto's neck.

"I don't get why you do that." Naruto chuckled.

"I don't expect you to get it. Our minds work in different ways." Sasuke sighed heavily. Naruto didn't protest. Why argue with the truth?

There was a moment of peaceful silence before Naruto once again tried to pry out the answer. "So why did you come again?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out." Sasuke let go and took a step to see out of the window better. "You know, just make the day's time pass by faster."

"Hn. As in…" a pink blush colored Naruto's cheeks. "A date?"

Sasuke laughed openly. "Call it whatever you want."

Naruto dashed away, presumably to get his coat. When he came out again, Sasuke shook his head in disdain.

"You call that clothing-for-going-outside-in?"

"No, I call it the-only-clothing-that-I-have-for-going-outside-in." Naruto pouted, buttoning up his bright orange jacket.

"It's too short. It only goes to your waist."

"Yeah, and yours is too long. It's like a dress, to me, anyways. At least I can run properly in this."

"You can also freeze properly in this." Sasuke picked his scarf up from the floor and tried it around Naruto's neck. "I'm not your nanny, but if I don't take care of you, who will?"

"I can take care of me." Naruto grabbed the scarf and started to adjust it to his liking. Sasuke watched him, his expression unreadable. "So then where are we going?"

Snapping out of his little trance, Sasuke shrugged. "I guess we could just walk around for a bit until we find entertainment."

"Walk around for a bit until we…" Naruto stared at him. "I'm seriously beginning to think I'm a bad influence on you and your Uchiha-ness, teme."

"Hmph." Sasuke pulled on his coat and held the door open as Naruto rushed past. He shut it, without bothering to turn the lock and followed him outside, at an a lot slower pace. To say the least, Naruto didn't fail to notice and comment on his speed. After some more bickering, they set off, walking down the street in the direction of who-knows-where.

The snow fell down, landing gently on their hair and shoulders, forming a soft layer of white powder. Naruto busied himself with the attempt to lick a flake or two off of his nose while Sasuke had enough to do just dealing with the cold weather. As they continued on their way, they came to a stop at a park. The trees stood naked, the snow covering them. A trail of shoe-prints tracked the way. The young couple walked along, their thoughts clouded over by the frosty temperature.

"J-Jeez, it really is cold, isn't it?" Naruto mumbled through numb lips.

"Baka. How can you still manage that kind of an expression?"

"I just don't want to sulk, that's all." A grin lit up Naruto's face.

"Sakura always did say that you were crazy." Sasuke shook his head.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto laughed, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Guess she still hates me…"

"Hmmm… And here I was, thinking you two became rivals." Sasuke stopped his walking and watched as Naruto did the same.

"It's not like that. I just hated the idea of you two being together. To tell the truth, I was more mad at you for choosing her than I was at her for clinging to you…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Wait, that was confusing…"

"No, I get it." Sasuke nodded. "Because even though you admit you love me, you still think of me as your rival."

Naruto groaned loudly. "I can't believe you. How can you say it that casually?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Say what?"

Naruto was blushing now, hopping from one foot to another. "The… the 'love you' thing. You say it like it's no big deal! I still can't understand it completely yet, and you seem totally comfortable with it…"

"Aren't you comfortable with it? Or can you not accept your feelings?" Sasuke took a step toward Naruto, thinking he'd back away, but Naruto remained in his place, although his blush became more pronounced.

"No, I… I never go back on my word." Naruto's eyes cast down. "You know that."

Sasuke smiled lightly, his hand coming out of it's pocket to ruffle Naruto's hair. "You're still crazy." Naruto, blushing, returned the smile happily. Sasuke turned around and began to walk away, deciding that the cute moment was over. And it wasn't like he was wrong, but…

_WHACK!_

"Geh!" Sasuke stumbled as something extremely cold and wet hit him in the back of the neck. He spun around, shaking his scarf free of the loose snow.

Naruto was grinning at him, another snowball in hand and at ready. Sasuke scowled, beginning to back away. Naruto aimed, fired… and missed as Sasuke dove down. His hands cupping together instantly, he rolled out of the way of another attack and launched a shot at Naruto, hitting him in the face. The blonde fell backwards, coughing and laughing at the same time. More snowballs rained down on him, hitting him at different points. Sasuke was merciless.

"Alright, you wanna play this game the hard way…" Naruto scowled, trying to dodge the assaults. He ducked behind a snow-pile just in time to let yet another sail over his head. Smashing together some snow, he chucked it as hard as he could. Hiding behind something was ideal, but he couldn't really see where he was throwing. Not like it mattered, because it was the same for Sasuke who had taken to hiding behind a tree from the rain of snowballs that suddenly appeared in the air and headed for him.

"You're…" he threw one, made another.

"Not…" and another…

"Gonna…" and another…

"WIN!" he threw two at the same time. Panting lightly, stopping to check his progress, he suddenly realized that Sasuke was no longer throwing any snowballs. Carefully, Naruto peeked out from behind his snow-pile. Was this a trick? Was Sasuke sneaking up on him?

But the reality was much, _much_ worse.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto squealed, and stumbled backwards, crawling on all fours. The girl was approaching him like an apocalypse, her face red with anger; snow in her pink and now-messy hair.

"Naruto-baka…" she cracked her knuckles threateningly. "I should have known… who else would it be?"

"Uh… I- I'm sorry, I didn't know, I couldn't see you, I mean…" Naruto gulped and shut his eyes. This would hurt.

"Sakura!"

The girl spun around. Her ears had _not_ deceived her! "Sasuke-kun! You're here, too!"

The raven-haired boy nodded absentmindedly, wondering how she had not seen him before. He was covered in snow as well, his dark-blue coat stained with white that had stuck there.

"I was just taking care of the Naruto-baka who hit me with a snowball and I um…" she blushed. "Oops, I must look so silly…" her hands flew to her hair, shaking out the lose powder.

"It's okay, I'm not better off." Sasuke shrugged, all too aware of the cautious Naruto who has now peeking out at them to see if it was safe yet. "What are you doing out here? It's pretty cold."

"Oh, I'm alright." Sakura mumbled, her eyes focusing on her boot-laces. "I'm not that affected by the cold. My mother is out doing Christmas shopping and I was bored, so I decided to go for a walk in the park."

"Hm." Was all Sasuke said, knowing that his job of being Naruto's savior was done.

"Yes. It's almost time for winter break. I'm really excited that we finally get some rest from all that crazy work." She laughed. "So what are you doing for Christmas, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke tensed. His dark eyes traveled away from the girl's face. He didn't have any family to spend this time with. The only family he had left was…

His fists tightened inside his gloves.

"I don't know." He said monotone.

Sakura blinked up at him. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"The baka probably thinks he's too cool to hang with anyone." Naruto finally worked up to courage to stand up. "It doesn't matter that much, does it now, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura glared at him. "Sasuke-kun is not an idiot!"

"I uh…" Naruto smiled apologetically, putting up both hands as a sign of defeat. "I didn't mean it that way."

Sasuke shrugged it off. At least they were off the subject. It appeared that Naruto was well aware of Sasuke's feelings about it. Sakura just snorted with discontent and spun around to face her crush again.

"Sasuke-kun, are you free this afternoon?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

Naruto felt his heart do a back flip. A date. Sasuke and Sakura, on a date. He gulped, trying to rid himself of the feeling that was swallowing his whole body.

"Yeah, I'm not doing anything."

Naruto looked up immediately.

_Idiot. It's not like he likes her more. Stop worrying. He's the great Uchiha. He has to hold his place as the Prince of the school. That's all. That's all…_

"Really? Than why don't we go into the city? We can take a train, that'll be faster!" Sakura smiled. "Would that be alright?"

Sasuke paused. He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. "Dobe."

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah?" he forced cheerily. It sounded genuine. But then again, he's had years of practice.

"Can I trust your take-care-of-myself skills to get you back home safe? I really don't want to have to waste my time calling an ambulance because you fell off of a cliff." Sasuke's eyes betrayed no emotion, even though Naruto searched for it hungrily.

"Yeah." This time, it came out dry. He coughed and repeated it. Better.

"Good."

Sakura smiled at Naruto, waved him goodbye and then clung to Sasuke's arm as they walked away from Naruto slowly. The blonde plopped down onto a pile of snow. All strength seemed to leave him.

_It's nothing serious. You're overreacting. You were the one who was acting so unsure about your feelings earlier. That's right. Sasuke is just being his old self. He still likes you more. He still loves…_

Naruto closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out. That's right. There was no reason to worry. He had to go home, make himself some ramen, relax, watch TV…

_I wonder what they're doing._

Naruto sprang to attention as the new idea multiplied and morphed inside his head.

_What if he hugs her?_

_What if he kisses her?_

_What if…_

_What if…_

His azure eyes focused on the trail by which the two had left. They'd be boarding the train by now. But if he ran really fast, maybe he could…

**XxX**

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked as they walked by a nice-looking café. "It looks like we can eat in here."

"Yeah!" Sakura blushed a bit at Sasuke's good manners. But as if that was anything new. She was almost used to this. It was like they were going out. Almost. Somehow, it seemed like there was still one barrier she couldn't break. No matter how gentlemen-like he was, he was still very anti-social. "I just love all the Christmas decorations they're putting up."

"Hm."

There it was – that hum again. Nothing short of a sign that he wasn't interested in whatever they were discussing. He usually wasn't interested, though.

They went inside, ordered, ate. All in complete silence. Sakura grew more and more agitated. This always happened when they were together! Sasuke let her hang around him as much as she liked. Any other would guess that he tolerated her because there was love between them. But Sakura, in a deep dark hole inside her heart knew that it wasn't so. There was no love. No matter how much emotion she donated to Sasuke, he gave none back. He didn't even let her feelings pass through his hardened shell.

"Sasuke-kun…" she looked up from her Oden bowl.

"Hm?" responded the boy without even bothering to meet her eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, for Christmas… Would you like to come over for dinner on Christmas Eve? My family wouldn't mind having you, they'd be very glad." Her voice was shaking slightly. She swallowed her fears. Why was this so unnerving?

Sasuke put his chopsticks down slowly, staring at his unfinished meal. His head digested her words, thinking up of the safest ways to respond.

At last, he rose from his seat and began to walk away. Sakura glanced over at the money that he had left on the table, paying for both of them and followed without hesitation, confused and even a little scared.

"Sasuke-kun, please, come back!" she burst from the doors of the café and dashed after him – the tall patch of dark blue in the mass of bodies. "Please, Sasuke-kun, listen to me!"

Sasuke had no intention of stopping. But he couldn't speed up, either. And now he could hear her boots crunching down the snow as she approached, calling his name over and over again. How long could she keep this up? Running after him like she was lost and he was her only salvation. If she would just stop and depend on her own intelligence and strength, he'd respect her so much more.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" he closed his eyes, coming to a stop as someone's persistent hand caught his scarf and refused to let go. He felt her forehead rest on his back.

"Why do you run from me, Sasuke-kun?" she asked. Her voice was shaking, tears threatening to fall.

"Why do you run _after_ me?" he asked quietly. He immediately felt her pull away, as if with shock. Fighting himself, he looked over his shoulder and met her wide emerald eyes, filled with confusion and emotion.

"B-because…" she blushed, and it was far more evident than her pink cheeks, frosted from the cold. "Because I… I love you, Sasuke-kun." The last part came out as a harsh whisper. She swallowed nervously. Sasuke didn't move. He didn't show any change of face. He didn't react at all.

Sakura shut her eyes, biting her lip and trying not to cry. Her heart thudded against her chest.

"Why don't you ever talk to me!" she cried. Some people that were walking by them stopped to cast them curious glances. "Why don't you ever show me your feelings? I feel so completely lost, Sasuke-kun! I don't know what to say, what to do! I don't understand your silent stares! I cannot decode them!"

She broke into sobs, her shoulder trembling violently. Her world filled with darkness. Even the warm coat she had on couldn't protect her from the cold that sank into her own heart. How could she go on like this? Trying to reach Sasuke, always failing…

Someone placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her foreword. She rested her head on his shoulder, crying freely. The hug was accepted, and they stood there for the longest time, until Sakura's tears stopped flowing. Sasuke pulled back, and, without ever meeting her eyes or opening his mouth wiped up her wet cheeks gently.

"It's getting dark. C'mon, I'll take you home." He placed an arm on her shoulder and softly pushed her foreword, into the traffic of the sidewalk. They didn't speak for a long time.

"Oh, wait I uh… Sasuke-kun." Sakura stopped abruptly. "I need to use the restroom. There's one in this store, I think." She pointed. He nodded, and she ran off, but not before saying "Wait for me."

Sasuke did wait. He stood, not noticing as the snow that fell from the dimming skies came to rest of his shoulders and hair. He stood, not noticing how the wind howled it's mournful song and carried the frost all around.

The only thing he did notice, however, was the person who was standing near the lamppost, watching him intently. With a sigh, Sasuke decided to be the one to give in.

"You know, Naruto, if you have a bright orange coat, people are bound to see you sooner or later." He shifted his gaze slightly to lock eyes with the boy. Uzumaki pressed his lips together until they became white and marched over to the Uchiha.

"Thanks for the tip." He growled.

"You're not too happy."

"I can figure that out for myself, thanks, Sherlock."

Sasuke tilted his head, waiting for Naruto to say more.

"You do love her, then?" Naruto grunted finally, looking away. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"Oh, _please_. That little show of affection was real. Even I'm able to tell."

Slowly, Sasuke nodded his head. "It was real."

Naruto glared at him. "Than? What you told me was a lie? You don't lo—like me?"

Sasuke returned the look with an even sharper eye which made Naruto flinch. "I didn't lie. I'm not the one to lie about what I feel. I love you, Naruto, even if you think I don't. What I said remains true. My emotions for Sakura run deep as well. But they are not the same as the ones I have for you."

Naruto bit his lip and stared down at his shoes. He was losing this game again. He didn't know the comeback for this. He didn't know what to feel, how to react.

"Baka. Come here." Sasuke slowly lifted up Naruto's chin. They stared into each other's eyes. Naruto felt them draw closer, until their lips touched, and then immediately, both pulled foreword with eagerness. Naruto stared into Sasuke's half-closed opal jewels. The dark boy pulled away.

"You should close your eyes when you kiss. It's rude to stare." He mumbled. Naruto nodded, without even thinking about it.

This was their world. This was where they were safe. This was how he wanted it; how it would be. Forever and ever. Just the two of them. Infinite love. This would never end.

_Would it? _

Naruto stared up at Sasuke's face, as it suddenly changed color, from pale, to paler, to complete white. He saw his eyes grow wide, his pupils small. And he suddenly had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Naruto turned around to face in the direction of Sasuke's terrified gaze. And what he saw made his knees go weak.

Sakura stood there, staring at both of them. Her expression unreadable. She stared straight ahead, and it was impossible to tell which boy she was looking at. She clutched her little pink purse so tightly, her knuckles became white. And then, swirling around so fast that it sent up a wave of snow, she was running, farther and farther away from them.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, but it was no use. She didn't hear him. She didn't want to hear him.

And that was when the world that they had began to build and put so much feeling and effort into, came tumbling down.

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Whooooo…. I planned the ending to this chapter for so long. I'm quite proud of myself. Well, as you see, here we have the RISING ACTION; if you've ever listened to your LA teacher. I really love the intensity of the moment, and I hope all of my readers will die tearing their hair out, screaming 'WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW!' I'm so very cruel. Kukukukuku.


	6. The Maze of Pain

Weeee. More chapters. People were nearly going to murder me because I was a lazy bum and let myself forget all about my favorite little story. Bows please don't kill me, O My Respected Readers. (Yay, the line thingies are working.) And anyways, I was busy with piano, and geometry, and all kinds of homework-y crap. Plus, I'm into reading KuroFai (Tsubasa Chronicles) yaoi stuff now, and I've been spending alot of my spare time doing just that. :D

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**6. The Maze of Pain.**

In the fading darkness of the room, Naruto sat on his bed, staring blankly at the phone in front of him. From the outside, sounds of the passing traffic could be heard, muffled by the walls of the apartment. He felt so utterly _alone_.

_Stupid phone. Ring_.

Naruto concentrated on it, willing it to ring. Willing Sasuke, who was somewhere back at home, to pick it up and dial his number.

It didn't work.

"Damn it, Naruto, you're such a baka, why would he call you after what happened today?" He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in the bed sheets. The memory of Sakura-chan's startled face was still burned into his memory.

_What happens now? _

Naruto turned his face sideways, staring out of the window. The dark blue sky loomed overhead the tall builds. A dog was barking somewhere n the upper floor. A lady was scolding a drunken man outside. A car honked, its driver obviously annoyed. But no ring of the phone that was just ten centimeters away from him.

His cerulean pools were thrown into darkness as the lids fell shut over them sleepily. He had to get some sleep. He had a math test tomorrow. The last one before winter break began. It was only a week away now. He already studied (studied in this case means; ate chips and watched TV while reading out of the book at random) and now all he needed was some well deserved rest. But every time, his mind wondered back to that tall and lean shape, those opal and perceptive eyes, that thin mouth, that only twitched into a smile for him, and only him.

_This is so freakin' messed up it's not even funny. _

And so he allowed the lulling darkness swallow him and let him fall into oblivion, as images of things that once were, and things he hoped would soon be flashed before his eyes.

**XxX**

_Is it just me or is everyone staring at me_? Naruto sat in his desk, numb with worry. Was it just his imagination? Everyone's eyes seemed to be fixed on him.

Where was Sasuke? Where was Sakura? He couldn't stand sitting here, acting all innocent and unknowing!

"Naruto!"

The blonde snapped to attention, relieved. "Kiba!"

"C'mon, let's go." The boy quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist, dragging his off and out of the classroom.

"What? What's going on?" Naruto began to panic. "Wait a second and explain this to me!"

"You're the one who's gonna have to do the explaining." Shikamaru and the rest of his buds stepped out from around the corner, circling Naruto.

"What? Me? Why? You're all acting weirder than normal." Naruto laughed nervously. "What's this all about?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Chouji piped in. "The rumors are all over the school."

Cold sweat beaded Naruto's forehead. "R-rumors?" he stuttered.

"Yes, rumors. Nobody's got any solid proof yet, but somehow, the story goes like this – you and Sasuke Uchiha, THE Sasuke Uchiha, were making out near the coffee shop yesterday night." Kiba said, being the foreword person that he was.

_Making out? It was just a goddamn kiss! Why! How!_

Seeing his shocked and pale face, the friends nodded sadly. "I know. Shocking, isn't it?"

"That's bullshit!" Naruto exploded immediately, right on que, lying like there was no tomorrow. "Where would anyone get the idea that I, Uzumaki Naruto, his biggest rival would make out with Sasuke Uchiha, damn him and all of his Uchiha-ness! And besides, who told you I was fucking _gay_?"

Hearing this, the circle of boys immediately relaxed. Naruto kept up the yelling for a while, until Shikamaru told him plainly to shut up.

"Who started the rumor, anyway?" Naruto mumbled.

"No one knows. The girls, obviously. It might have been Sakura-chan, but she doesn't seem too eager to talk about it. She's been avoiding Sasuke all day. Maybe it was something Ino said. Or maybe Tenten."

Naruto slumped against the wall.

"It's also possible…" Shikamaru mused, keeping his eyes trained on the blonde. "That the rumor took up by itself, from the way you two were behaving lately."

Naruto tensed up, but he managed to hide it well behind a careless mocking smile. "Sorry, come again?"

"Well, it doesn't take an idiot to figure out that things were tense between you two again. You were always glaring at each other, snapping and biting. And then, suddenly, you both relax. It was like someone pressed a button. You still bicker, but there's no more thunder whenever your eyes meet. You suddenly became… almost friends." Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets, turning slightly red.

Naruto stared at him, not knowing how to react. At last, he managed to speak. "You didn't figure all that out."

"Shika did."

Naruto glared at Shikamaru. "No, you didn't, either."

"I'm not dumb, Naruto. But yes, I had some help from female logic."

Satisfied that this was just another assumption made by the girls, Naruto shook his head. "No. No, that's wrong. There's nothing between us. We're rivals, that's all."

"Good." Chouji pulled out a bag of chips casually. "But now you've gotta go around and convince everyone to believe that."

There was a loud groan. "This can't be happening to me."

"It is. Off you go. Good luck." They peeled their beaten friend from the wall and casually shoved him towards the classroom again. "Keep your nose high. Make them believe that you're confident in what you're saying."

Naruto nearly tripped as he stumbled into the room, and almost everyone turned their head to see him. The loud conversations turned once again into hushed whispers. Taking advice, Naruto looked indifferent as he walked tall and proud to his desk. He sat down and pulled out his math book, hiding his face behind it so that it could undergo the transformation; from bored and uncaring to completely defeated and in fear of having a heart attack.

_This can't be happening. _

But it was.

**XxX**

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata covered her mouth with her hand, her usually pale face flushed red. "Oh, I'm so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going at all!" She leaned foreword and began to pick up her notebooks that had spilled onto the floor when she and the blonde collided.

"It's alright, I was daydreaming too, I guess." Naruto helped her, smiling his broad smile. He was getting better and better at playing cool. "Your name is Hyuuga Hinata, right? Are you related to Hyuuga Neiji?"

"We're cousins." The girls looked down at her feet, embarrassed, but seemed happy and enjoying the conversation.

"I see. You really do look alike. Well, alright, I better hurry up and get my bag from class." Naruto smiled again once, before sprinting down the hall, towards the room.

The dark-haired girl looked after him, a small smile barely seen under her bright pink cheeks. She closed her eyes, relief flooding her. No, this was Naruto-kun. Always so nice, so kind. The rumors were untrue.

_He couldn't possibly be gay._

_Being gay is becoming a serious problem._

Naruto turned the corner sharply in his usual manner, and slid in right next to the classroom door. His hand flew to the handle to pull it open, but he stopped, hearing voices inside. His heart pounding against his chest, he slowly leaned in, putting his ear to it. He didn't want to make the mistake he made in the very beginning of the school year when he walked in on the pink-haired girl and Sasuke by accident. Who was it this time?

"— don't want you to misunderstand anything. I hope we're still on the same line here, Sakura. Are we?"

"Y-yes, Sasuke-kun, of course."

Naruto's heart was using his ribcage like a xylophone and playing a fast-paced melody. He felt his breath catch.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." Sakura mumbled at last. "I just thought… I understand, of course. I hope you don't stay mad at me for all the trouble I've caused, with all those rumors starting up. I never meant to tell anyone…"

There was a silence, and Naruto assumed Sasuke nodded. Finally, after a while longer, he cleared his throat. "Uh, look Sakura i-if you want… I can take you to a movie on Saturday. Right in the beginning of winter break."

Naruto could just imagine Sakura gaping at him, while her brilliant green eyes filled with joy. Meanwhile, he felt himself lean more heavily against the door, because all strength seemed to drain from him.

"Of course, Sasuke-kun!" came the happy squeal.

"I'll call you. Now I hear there's going to be heavy traffic later this afternoon, so you better get home early." Sasuke gave her the directions.

"Alright."

_Not alright. That's how he always talks to me. He used to always act like he only cared about whether_ I _was safe or not!_

The footsteps came closer to the door and Naruto immediately dove for the classroom door right next to theirs, hiding in there. Sakura trotted past, and through a crack in his hiding place, he could see her happy smile. He didn't feel like smiling at all. He felt like sitting down right there and then and falling through the floor.

"Uzumaki." Sasuke's voice rang throughout the lone hallway. Slowly, Naruto forced himself to pull open the door and step out. As he thought, Sasuke was leaning against a wall, watching him carefully. Naruto kept his eyes away from his. "We need to talk."

Naruto glanced over to Sasuke, trying to read his expression, but the Uchiha betrayed no emotion.

"Oh?"

"That's right. About yesterday. And about the rest of the school year."

Naruto looked up, confused. His blonde locks fell over his face, but his blue eyes still shone bright out from under them. The picture of perfect innocence.

Sasuke took a deep breath. Not even Naruto had seen him like this before – stressed, attempting to fix things that had shattered into a million pieces.

"I've convinced Sakura to believe that what she saw was a misunderstanding on her part. I'm not going to tell you how. But I have. However Uzumaki, this cannot be fixed by a simple attempt at an excuse. We came awfully close to falling over the edge." Sasuke's voice turned to ice. Naruto felt himself grow colder with every word.

"We have to admit…"

_Is this right?_

"That from the very beginning…"

_Is this what you really want?_

"Both of us…"

_This isn't what I want._

"Were mistaken…"

_Please, stop, Sasuke!_

"And that this relationship…"

_I don't want to be alone again! _

"Was merely a fleeting passion…"

_It hurts when I don't have someone like you by my side!_

"This was only a stupid play of hormones…"

_I never knew that I could be this lonely!_

"So that's why…"

_I thought I would always be alright by myself but after meeting you I know better!_

"We should both just…"

_After seeing my life in full bloom of color whenever you were around…_

"Go our separate ways."

_How can I stand to go back to my black and white way of living!_

_How…?_

Naruto's eyes seemed to go blank. Where did their sheen disappear to? How come he suddenly looked so small and helpless and beaten?

"Uzumaki?" Sasuke was on the verge of losing it himself. He couldn't help the blonde if Naruto suddenly fell unconscious, or even began to cry.

"Y-yeah?" Naruto's voice seemed to come from somewhere very far away.

"Do you agree?"

Naruto ran his hand over his face slowly, closing his eyes. "Yes, Uchiha. I agree."

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Naruto looked at the raven.

"For causing this much trouble. Because of this… confusion."

Naruto nodded, then shook his head dismissingly. "It's alright, Uchiha. I'm not mad." Moving his legs by willpower and dignity alone, he walked past Sasuke, into the classroom, and picked up his book bag. After this, however, he couldn't go on. He slid behind his desk, resting his head on his folded hands. He heard Sasuke come in as well, and then come back out, shutting the door behind him and leaving Naruto to the sobs that were beginning to posses his body.

**XxX**

Genma-sensei, the science teacher, glanced up from his desk and at the clock.

"The bell's gonna ring in about 30 seconds, so I suggest you get packing. Also, Uzumaki, Uchiha, you're next on the list to clean up the lab equipment. I'll give you the keys before I go. Remember about that report that's due on Friday, right before break. Wouldn't want to give you homework for Christmas, now would I?"

A murmur went through the class like a wave. Sasuke kept his eyes trained on the notebook before him, pretending not to notice. Behind him, he felt Naruto shift in his chair uncomfortably. Things have been going well for the past two days, which amazed Sasuke to a great extent. They avoided each other a lot, but whenever they saw each other accidentally in the hallway, Naruto was always chatting with his friends happily, wearing a smile. Sasuke didn't bother to linger and study that smile, trying to figure out if it was fake or not. He didn't really want to know, either way.

The class emptied out quickly. Sakura stayed behind for a while, talking about something that happened today, as usual. After a while, though, Sasuke convinced her to go home.

"I don't want you to get stuck in traffic. It'll be safer if you go now."

She nodded, and kissed him on the cheek briefly before blushing and running off. Sasuke glanced over to Naruto quickly, but he didn't see – he was already busy putting the test tubes into the sink. They moved about, getting their job done in silence. That is, until Naruto pulled a signature move and decided to do something stupid enough – like climbing the cupboards to put away the dry glass.

"Baka, what do you think you're doing!" Sasuke yelled at him from across the room. "Get a step-stool!"

"I've got it!" Naruto managed to retort, trying to get a better grip on the shelf with his shoe and failing. One of his feet slipped off and danged in the air. Sasuke set down the wiping cloth slowly and watched as Naruto tried to grab the next upper shelf.

"I'm telling you I'm gooooOOAAAAAA!" his fingers slid from their clinging place and he came down, sure to hit he floor with his back.

But Sasuke, his reaction in tip-top shape, slid foreword, catching Naruto in mid-air. The shift of weight caused them both to continue falling, but thankfully, Naruto now had a cushion to fall onto.

Sasuke wasn't so lucky.

"Ooooow…." He groaned.

"Sasuke, Sasuke are you alright?" Naruto quickly rolled off, but his hand was still on the boy's chest, his wide blue eyes filled with worry. "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't think…"

"I know you didn't think." Sasuke snapped. "You never think. And who said you could call me by my first name?"

Naruto quickly removed his hand, cradling it against his chest, his eyes downcast.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke sat up, rubbing his side. "Nothing is broken, and I've been victim to your stupidness before – I'll live."

Naruto nodded, standing up. Sasuke did, too, after a while. They continued their work in silence, but this one, unlike the first, seemed sinister and dark.

"So uh, I hear you're going out with Hyuuga."

Naruto tensed. "Who told you that?"

"Sakura."

Naruto shrugged it off. "Not going out – no. We're just good friends. There's nothing there, really. I mean, she's cute and shy, and really kind…" he frowned, picking up a measuring cup and beginning to scrub it. "I guess I might like her… a little…" his voice trailed off. Sasuke bit his lip. He could guess what Naruto wanted to say.

We need to stop this. That was the past. This is the future.

"I'm sure you'll get somewhere someday. Me and Sakura-chan are doing fine, we're thinking about going Christmas shopping…" he looked at Naruto, smiling. The blonde boy returned a look filled with misery and disgust.

"Don't smile at me." He snarled. Sasuke lifted his eyebrows, no longer smiling.

"Sorry?" he questioned, all barriers of his 'Ice Prince' self going up.

"Don't smile at me… like that… when you talk about…" Naruto seemed to be unable to control himself. Whether he was shaking with rage or sadness was unknown to Sasuke.

Sasuke caught the glare of absolute hate thrown at him and held onto it fearlessly.

"If that really bothers you…" he said finally, and turned away.

Naruto stared at his feet.

_Who are you? _

_Who are you, to tell him what he should smile at?_

_How can you be so selfish?_

Naruto clutched the front of his school shirt. It hurt so much. How could he be expected to react any other way?

_That smile used to be for me. _

_Only for me._

_How can you be so cruel?_

**XxX**

Winter break came quickly. School days rushed by in a blur of excitement and irritation. Everything was fast. And Naruto and Sasuke were, perhaps, the only ones enjoying this crazy atmosphere, happy to be lost in the wave of everything confusing. It didn't give them time to think, to reconsider. And that was all they ever wanted.

As promised, Sasuke took Sakura out. The Saturday, right after the last day of the year. They went to a movie, they watched it. He was silent, Sakura was chattering.

Everything was perfect.

Just the way he wanted it.

Sasuke glanced up at the snow that had began to fall from the sky. Why did he feel so utterly alone, when he was coming out of the theatre with his… his…

…Girlfriend…

_Everything is perfect. You've done it, Sasuke, you've fixed something that was broken into a billion pieces. You've done the impossible. You're perfect again, Sasuke, your life is in control again. This is what you wanted._

_No more stupid blonde boys with incredibly blue eyes to mess you up, to make you dig so deep inside of your heart that it hurts._

_Truth hurts. Naruto gave him truth. _

_Isn't truth supposed to be a good thing?_

Truth was what started this whole mess.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was beside him again. He smiled at her. She was so smart. She knew exactly what was needed when he was in one of his moods. Maybe she'd be the one to help him. Because being with her didn't hurt as much as being with Naruto.

"Yeah?" he asked, quiet.

"Sasuke-kun did you… enjoy this?"

Sasuke reached out, taking one of her pink strands into his fingertips. He twisted the hair gently. "Why shouldn't I have?"

He'd done the right thing. As long as Sakura was thinking straight, she was dangerous. She could see through his mask – and that sometimes scared Sasuke. But close contact, such as this – it scared her. It made her mind reel, and she wouldn't be able to figure it out. It was as if Sasuke had thrown a smoke bomb in front of her, clouding himself.

"W-well I um… You just looked bit sad." She shut her eyes, blushing, and obviously enjoying his touch. Sasuke leaned forward, planting a light kiss of her forehead.

"Sasuke?"

"Mm?" he replied, pulling back to look at her. She was still blushing.

"I… You still haven't told me how you feel about me."

Sasuke looked at her, then he looked up at the sky. The snow was still falling.

_Why is it?_

_Why does it hurt?_

_Which path is the right one?_

_I've been trying to forget it, to not regret it._

_Why do all my emotions have to gather right now right here, when what I say to her matters most?_

"Sasuke… Do you love me?"

One word. One word would be all it took.

_Whom do you chose to lie to, Sasuke? To Sakura… or to yourself?_

The opal eyes blinked. Stupid inside voice that's always right.

"I do love you, Sakura-chan."

Her eyes, her smile. The light that lights up her face. The happiness that radiates from her.

_Whom did you lie to, Sasuke?_

_To no one._

And now she's going away, because she's embarrassed, and she can't handle this many emotions, and she's blabbering something about being late for dinner, and she runs off, but she's still happy. And she's still glowing.

_I'm sorry, Sakura-chan._

_I didn't lie to you. _

_But I didn't lie to myself, either._

_Because no matter how much I may love you, my love for you and my love for Naruto are completely different things._

_But both exist._

**XxX**

Sakura-chan was like a little sister. Gradually, he'd gotten used to her, and even come to respect her intelligence. She was annoying at times, but useful in her own special way. Sasuke knew she cared for him. And he accepted that, sometimes, even with a good heart, because in a way, he cared for her as well. She'd become important to him. If she was in trouble, he'd protect her. Of course he would.

And then there was Naruto.

He was different. In a different sense of word. He was… special.

It was at the sight of him that Sasuke lost sight of what he was doing. It was at his smile that Sasuke got frustrated. It was in his cerulean pools Sasuke drowned happily.

Naruto was the one who'd thrown Sasuke's heart off balance. Naruto was his door to a world so much brighter and happier than his own. Naruto was his key.

And he loved Naruto just as much as he hated him, for destroying the perfect world that he'd spent so much time building. It took such a long time. But Naruto had steamrolled over Sasuke's wall like it was nothing, and had found the Uchiha's hidden heart.

It was so damn annoying, but it was amazing, too.

Sasuke was walking back home slowly. He needed all the time he could get to get his thoughts straight. He'd made a mistake that was for sure. And now, it was his time to correct it. Maybe he could call Naruto tomorrow, or arrive at his apartment again.

_Or maybe you could open your eyes and realize that he's heading right toward you right now, idiot._ Sasuke blinked. Indeed, Naruto was there, walking down the street, obviously lost in thought; and, in his scarf, that was way too big and covered not only his neck but half of his face as well.

"Oi, dobe!" Sasuke called, stopping, right as Naruto nearly flew into him. "Baka. Watch where you're going."

Naruto looked up, started, and froze in place as he realized whom he was looking at. Sasuke returned the look with an irritated snort. "Jeez, you haven't changed one bit."

Naruto still didn't say anything. He just stared at Sasuke. The raven-haired sighed. It looked like he was going to have to start this after all.

"Sorry, Uchiha, I gotta go. I need to get back home and…" Naruto attempted to move past Sasuke, but the boy stopped him easily, catching his wrist.

"Wait a second."

Naruto looked at him once, and then looked away. "Why?"

"We need to talk."

Naruto seemed to flinch at the familiar words. "I didn't do anything wrong, okay? I stayed away from you all week, so let go of me!"

"I didn't say you did anything, Usuratonkachi! Jeez, just hold off for a minute, would ya?" Sasuke yelled, pulling Naruto at him with more strength than the blonde could resist. Blue eyes blinked at him with surprise. Sasuke glared.

"I wanted to talk to you, Baka, so shut your big mouth and let me say it." He snapped. Naruto faltered, but he wasn't trying to run away anymore. Something in Sasuke's voice seemed different. It summoned warmth to Naruto's chest, but it scared him, as well. Sasuke was saying more. "Look, I'm trying to say I was wrong all this time. Because I'm such a bastard of a freak, and I was only trying to defend my part of it, and I never really thought how everything would affect you. In the long run, it only turned back on me, because it turns out I was the one who was wrong after all. Because things aren't really better this way, and it wasn't a mistake."

Naruto gaped at him. What was going on? Is this possible?

_Oh no…_

He gulped.

"I'm just… trying to say… I'm sorry." Sasuke mumbled. Not even a blush or a frown. Blunt, polite, cold, and yet so incredibly soft and caring. That was Sasuke. But it wasn't how things were supposed to be. This was all too much.

Naruto averted his gaze. He was beginning to shake.

Why does it have to be like this?

"Naruto… I love you."

Naruto shut his eyes as Sasuke pulled him into a hug. That hug that would always protect him. That hug that he longed for so many times before. But now?

"Naruto?"

The blonde was pushing him away.

"Naruto?" Sasuke felt like he was the one being blocked off now. Like the boy had just built a wall himself.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I can't."

* * *

Welcome to mount cliffhanger. The chapter is finally done and up, but you'll probably want to murder me for this. ;3 Well, can't do anything about it. Have fun agonizing over what'll happen next. I know it's confusing, but Naruto has rejected Sasuke right after Sasuke decided that he wanted Naruto back. Oooh, drama. 


	7. Decitions and Returns

Well, I won't be making any excuses for now – indeed I have become lazy and have completely abandoned the story. I'm VERY sorry. I won't lie to you, saying I have too much schoolwork – that's not the problem. I've just concentrated more on my own needs than on the needs of my readers.

-bow-

Sumimasen.

P.S. – This chapter is the sole reason the story has an M rating. It includes hot sexy boy sex. So, if this sort of thing offends you… shrugs

* * *

**7. Decisions and Returns.**

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I can't. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Because even if you changed your mind… I'm not the type to go back on my words. I've thought about it, long and hard, but I've said it before – I agreed with you. And I'm not the kind of person to take back my words just like that and forget about everything." Naruto's blue eyes carefully met Sasuke's opal orbs. There was truth in them, the cold, sorrowful truth that sent Sasuke plunging deeper into the hole of pain which he'd dug for himself.

They stood there, together at last, but separated. The snow fell around them, but neither felt the cold. Sasuke simply looked at Naruto, just looked, as if there was nothing on his mind. As if his brain had blanked out.

"Oh…" he finally managed to choke out. Naruto bit his lower lip to stop it from trembling.

_Why does it have to be like this? Why does love have to hurt so much?_

Naruto shut his eyes, feeling tears sting in his eyes. When he opened them again, Sasuke was gone.

**XxX**

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata's large pale eyes stared up at him. He smiled at her.

"Yes Hinata-chan?"

"Naruto-kun, you seem sad."

"That's not it!" he laughed it off, waving his hands dismissingly. "I'm just a bit tired. I'm glad the winter break's on. And it's Christmas Eve tonight, too." He looked out into the clear blue sky above. They were walking down the crowded Tokyo streets together, on something that you might call a 'date'. It was so colorful, so full of life. Everyone was looking forward to Christmas Eve. Naruto was glad he'd asked her out. Hanging with Hinata always took his mind off of things, like yesterday, for example. If he just forgot about it all, he could pretend nothing ever happened. Hinata really was a great girl.

"Alright." She blushed lightly, the pink color rushing up her pale cheeks, mixing with the rose from the winter's frost. "You just seem really sad lately. And I really want to see you happy, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled. "I'm happy!"

Hinata stopped walking, and he did, too.

"What's wrong?"

Hinata smiled, her eyes cast downward. Naruto blinked.

"Naruto-kun, you know… sometimes I feel like you're trying to protect me from your sad emotions, because you think that if you're sad, I'm sad, too." She said quietly, the smile still on her lips. Naruto froze, his cerulean orbs wide.

"I just want you to know, that it's partly true. But pretending that you're happy when you're really sad underneath is not going to make me feel better. After all, if you're happy, I'm going to be happy, too." She looked at him. He thought he saw a hint of tears sparkle in her eyes. She seemed to incredibly sad, but yet so kind and compassionate. "Naruto-kun I…" she blushed a bit, and laughed. "I love you. I love you, Naruto-kun. But because I love you… Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy, too. You've made me so happy in this past week, Naruto-kun. You've made me smile more than I have before in my whole lifetime. But I cannot continue like this, being the only one who smiles genuinely." She looked down, hiding her smile in the furry of the coat. Her eyes shut. Naruto stood, open-mouthed. He could not believe this. His heart was going crazy, and his mind was reeling.

"Hinata-chan?" he mumbled.

"Please be happy, Naruto-kun." She mumbled, her eyes opening and gazing into his. He felt as if all the kindness that she was giving to him was suffocating. She looked up, and he saw that she was smiling. He blinked at her. "I want you to be happy."

"Hinata-chan…" he felt so guilty. He'd hurt so many people already. He had to learn to make his own decisions, he had to learn to be true to himself!

_Dear God, its scary how smart girls can be. _

Naruto suddenly grabbed her shoulders and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She became even redder, surpassing all laws of physics. As he pulled away, Naruto wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Ano… Arigatou…" he smiled as she hugged him back shyly. "Thank you, Hinata-chan." He stepped away, looking at her flushed face and smiling. Hinata blinked at him, and then began to laugh. He laughed, too, because they both knew – his smile, his new smile – was now genuine.

"I have to go Hinata-chan!" he said, taking a step back. She nodded. "I'll see you later!" and he was gone, kicking up snow as he ran from her, hungrily feeding on the new source of happiness he'd discovered within himself.

The dark-haired girl waved after him, smiling as well. "Thank you, too, Naruto-kun." She whispered. "For giving me this week of happiness."

**XxX**

_He had to hurry, he had to hurry! The sun had already set, and everyone was heading home. He had to find it in time, he had to! He had to hurry, had to make things right! If he didn't hurry, maybe it'd be too late!_

_Sasuke, I'm so sorry! I'll set things right, I promise! For both of us!_

He was running. Running down the emptying streets, running for his life, for his love. He had to hurry!

Sliding to a stop, the blonde boy adjusted his hat in a store window and peeked inside. Closed.

"Damnit!" he rested his forehead against the glass. Every store was closed by now, of course.

"Why are you out here on Christmas eve?" a voice behind him asked. Naruto didn't bother to turn around. He seemed to be swallowed up in his failure.

"Because I made a big mistake." He sniffled, feeling completely broken. Maybe there wasn't really anyone behind him, maybe it was his conscience speaking. "I made a huge mistake, and I missed my chance, and now the one person that I love thinks I hate… but I don't, and I can't give present…" he sobbed pathetically.

"It can't be that big of a deal." Said the voice. Naruto scowled at his own reflection in the window of the store.

"How do you know!" he yelled angrily through tears.

"I would."

"Bastard, I bet you do--" spinning around, Naruto suddenly found himself facing Sasuke. His words caught in his throat. "Sasuke!"

His string broke. He jumped onto Sasuke, wrapping his arms around the boy's neck, hanging on as if he expected Sasuke to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke! I was wrong! It wasn't like taking my words back! I love you, too! I forgive you for being a selfish stupid bastard! I forgive you!"

"Thanks, dobe." Sasuke managed to grunt sarcastically with the little air he had left in him from Naruto's choke.

"And please forgive me for being stupid, too, because I never knew what I was doing and… I… I…" he slid down back onto the ground, standing before his lover guiltily. "I don't have a Christmas Present for you."

The raven chuckled, cupping Naruto's cheek and kissing him gently, his fingers playing with Naruto's blonde locks.

"Oh, I think we can fix that." He said softly. Naruto felt a shudder run through him. It was exciting and warm, but scary at the same time.

"What do you mean, Sasuke?" he asked casually, then yelped with surprise as the boy hoisted Naruto up onto his back.

"I'm kidnapping you." He responded matter-of-factly, beginning to run down the long streets.

"Whaaaaaaat!" Naruto yelled, clinging to Sasuke's back in a desperate attempt of hanging on.

_Jeez, how can he be so strong? He shouldn't be able to carry me so easily! And couldn't he just slow down for once, we'd only made up five seconds ago!_

Down they went, rushing past the white of snow, the colors of decorations, all the way to Sasuke's own apartment, where the raven finally let Naruto down so that he could pull out his keys. A run up the stairs (with Naruto in tow) and they were inside, Sasuke shutting the door. Naruto looked around in the dimness. He could make out the neatness of the room with the light that gathered from the huge window in the living room, where the futon lay. Moonlight from the crescent above in the sky outlined Sasuke's things.

"Wow, it's twice as big as my place, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed happily, forgetting for a while to ask why it was that Sasuke had brought him here. "Sasuke? Aren't you going to turn on the lights?" he asked, turning back. Sasuke was shrugging off his coat, not looking at Naruto.

"Why?" he chuckled. "I like it better like this, in darkness."

"But I want to see you!" Naruto stepped to him, but Sasuke had already melted into the shadows.

_Relax. He must've slipped into the kitchen._ "Sasuke?"

"Seeing won't be necessary." Whispered a hot voice down his neck. Naruto felt the chill return, traveling down his spine. Hands wrapped around his waist as Sasuke hugged him from behind.

"What?" he mumbled, turning his head sideways slightly. Sasuke caught his chin and gently pulled Naruto forward until their lips met. The kiss quickly deepened, and before Naruto knew it, he was being pushed against a wall, tasting the sweetness of Sasuke's tongue against his own.

_We can fix that. _The words echoed in his mind. _What was Sasuke gonna…?_

A hand snuck up the bottom of his black shirt playfully. Naruto started, almost breaking the kiss.

"Sasuke… wait, ahh…" his words were drowned out in a breathless moan as the raven played with his left nipple. Despite his own confusion, Naruto felt the room grow hotter as Sasuke licked his earlobe, making him shudder again. "What are you gonna…"

"You wanted to give me a present." Sasuke responded, his voice soft against Naruto's neck. Naruto blushed, shutting his eyes.

"Y… Yeah?" he mumbled, feeling his clear thinking skills slide out of his grasp. "B-but… Mmm…" he moaned softly as Sasuke pressed a hand against the front of his pants. When did his pants become so tight? He hadn't noticed it before…

He slid down the wall, breathless and lost in the heat. Sasuke shifted him over towards the futon, so that Naruto was lying on the blankets, Sasuke above him, lust and hunger in his eyes. Naruto was panting.

"W-wait, Sasuke…" he mumbled, but Sasuke had already pulled off his shirt, throwing it away and kissed Naruto again. Naruto felt the raven's hand on his erection again and moaned into his lover's mouth desperately. His mind was reeling.

_Wait!_

_Wait!_

_Wait!_

"Sasuke…" he opened his eyes, seeing that Sasuke had already successfully pulled off his own turtleneck. "Sasuke wait…" he gasped as the boy's lips hovered over his. Opal orbs gazed at him through half-shut lids.

"Are you afraid?" he whispered. Naruto blushed harder, trying to gather his thoughts. _Was he?_

"I just… don't know…" he mumbled, avoiding the gaze that studied him with such hope.

"Don't be afraid." Sasuke unzipped Naruto's pants, pulling them off and gently spreading the blonde's legs. "I won't hurt you."

Naruto gulped, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck and shutting his eyes. Sasuke's own hands slipped off the rest articles of clothing from both of them. He kissed Naruto's neck gently, his fingers playing over the blonde's crotch like a flute, making him give moans once in a while, then sneaking down towards his entrance. Naruto tensed, and Sasuke paused, whispering something soft and comforting to the other boy. At last, Naruto's grip on his lover's neck relaxed lightly, and Sasuke slowly inserted one finger inside of Naruto.

He gasped, trying to get used to the uncomfortable feeling as quickly as possible. Sasuke's digit was traveling farther inside of him, seeming to explore. But it caused pain, and Naruto felt tears string his eyes.

Suddenly, the world flashed hot white. Naruto gasped, wishing for nothing more than to experience it again. Seeming to understand him, Sasuke stroked the spot again, forcing Naruto to arch his back. The finger came out, and Naruto opened his eyes for a while, panting. Sasuke held him close as he positioned himself above Naruto, who was still clinging to Sasuke. He shut his eyes, knowing what would come next.

It was painful all over again, and Naruto could feel a small tear trickle down his cheek as Sasuke entered him. The raven suddenly found the magical spot again, and Naruto let out a moan. Sasuke stopped, probably fearing he'd hurt Naruto, but the blonde clung to his neck, his whispers ragged.

"Please… don't stop…" he managed, and Sasuke slowly began to thrust, sending Naruto into a world filled with the hot white pleasure. He gasped, feeling himself climax, and then feeling Sasuke spill inside of him, growling something along the lines of Naruto's name. Naruto followed, Sasuke's name a breathless moan on his own lips. Sasuke pulled out, panting lightly and collapsing next to Naruto. The blonde felt completely drained. He was slipping off into sleep quickly, all too quickly. But not before he felt Sasuke wrap arms around him and pull them closer, tangled up in the blankets, inhaling the sweet smell of sex that lingered in the air. Naruto shut his eyes, falling into the dark warmth under the pale moonlight of the falling snow right outside. Warm in the arms of the one he loved most.

Sasuke watched him fall asleep, feeling the drowsiness crash over him as well. But he couldn't. He still had to do one more thing…

Pulling Naruto closer yet, he kissed the blonde's forehead gently.

"Thanks for the Christmas present dobe." He whispered.

* * *

Did I take it too fast? I'm sorry. I just really wanted to get this over with, and I felt kind of lost. Did I get to the point waaaay too fast? Gimme feedback, and I may repost this chapter.

The last chapter will be the next one, just kinda like an epilogue to all this angst. 3


	8. Acceptence and Future

Well, this is sort of like the epilouge to the whole story. Sorry it took so long. I got lazy and bored. I'm glad I could finally finish it, even if it is a piece of complete crap. Well, it WAS my first multiple-chapter fanfiction project, so...

Let's hope I get better at writing and please don't throw bricks at me if it sucks too bad.

**

* * *

8. Acceptance and Future. **

Naruto woke to the sweet smell of bacon cooking, sizzling away on a frying pan. His nose immediately jerked upwards from underneath the covers but as he tried to move more, a dull ache stopped his body and he fell back into the soft bedcovers, limp.

"Saaaassuuuuukeeeeee!!" he called desperately into the kitchen.

"What?" the raven answered, not moving away from the stove.

"I can't move!" Naruto groaned, rolling over.

"Why is this my problem?"

"You bastard!" all pain seemed to disappear as naked determination took over the blonde's limbs and he stomped into the kitchen, waking his black-haired partner on the back of the head. "Because you're the one who jumped me, pervert."

"Merry Christmas to you too, dobe." Sasuke growled, glaring at the blue-eyed and rubbing his head.

"Ooooh…" suddenly remembering, Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's neck lovingly. "Yeah!"

"You're one braid-dead blonde." Sasuke snarled, his eyes glued to the bacon as he flipped the pan over and deposited the cooked meat onto a plate. Naruto grabbed one of the strips, chewing on it happily.

"Oh Shuddup. You don't mean that."

Sasuke hummed and put on some more strips of uncooked meat, watching them change color as they cooked. Naruto's hands stubbornly refused to leave his neck, but it wasn't as if he minded at all. The boy's touch was soft and warm, and it felt like it belonged.

"Hey Naruto…"

"Yeah?" the younger one's smile was wider than ever.

"I was just thinking… I want to ask you something." Sasuke poked the bacon with a fork. Was he actually going to do this? He'd spent the whole lone morning having a major fight inside of his head. As if it was politics, and two completely different ideas were going at each other.

"Yeah?"

Obsidian eyes met cerulean ones. Mentally, Sasuke nodded at himself.

"I have a gift for you, too."

**XxX**

Another week, and a New Year's Day spent together and they returned to school, where Sasuke was met with a huge hug from Sakura as Naruto glared from afar. But soon they fell back in step with their regular lives, things going on as usual. No one realized the truth. No one probably would. Because Sasuke and Naruto were certainly not gay. Certainly not.

Sasuke calmly accepted the gifts from his fan-club, treating each with care to the affect of only raising another tsunami of compliments that washed over him. Silently, he amused himself by watching as a couple of girls actually gave presents to Naruto, as well. The blonde seemed completely taken aback by this – he hadn't expected anyone to give him gifts except Hinata-chan. What amazed him most was the fact that Sakura actually gave him a present as well. A box of home-made chocolates, much like the one she gave to Sasuke, only, of course, considerably smaller. They were shaped like snowflakes and covered with blue frosting. Naruto gaped at her, openmouthed until she finally smacked him on the head and yelled at him to say 'thank you'. Which he did.

The teachers weren't too crazy about just letting everyone goof off, however. Immediately, homework was a part of their crazed-up lives again and everyone was hurrying to get things done, to study for the tests that came in the spring. Sasuke and Sakura suddenly began running around the school as if everything was a marathon, carrying out their student-council duties. Naruto lazily watched them from afar, chewing on food. He didn't mind them being together constantly anymore. Sasuke might have had something to do with soothing his worried heart, for the raven made sure to pull Naruto aside whenever they were alone and to kiss him soundly, making sure that they both knew where they were in this crazy relationship. Naruto was content. No, more than content. He knew that finally, he was truly, genuinely happy. This was where he wanted to be, and things were going great. So as long as he didn't fail the exams and got into 11th grade, he'd be just dandy. As long as.

February came to with crisp morning air, snow still resting on the naked cherry trees in the school yard, and Naruto sat in the empty classroom, staring outside sleepily and ignoring the bento lunch that sat on his desk right beside some papers. Sakura came in to place the copies of the hand-outs on the teachers' desk and then turned to him. He smiled at her tiredly and stretched.

"You look wasted, Naruto-kun." The girl noticed, coming over to sit on the edge of his desk. "That's pretty weird, considering that you barely do any work at all."

"I do work!" Naruto mumbled, resting his head on his folded arms. "I do different kind of work."

"The 'sleep in class' kind of work? Or maybe you mean the 'pull pranks' kind of work." Sakura teased, poking his forehead. He batted her hand away in annoyance. "You should at least do your homework." Her green eyes lowered to the items on his desk. "Naruto-kun, what's this?" she picked up a piece of paper with a list on it.

"Bills." He responded lazily.

"Bills?" she repeated.

"Bills. Cable bills, water bills, apartment rent." He yawned. "You know the stuff you have to pay for."

Sakura held the paper in front of his face and waved it back and forth. "This doesn't say your name on it. It's Sasuke's."

Naruto grinned apologetically, suddenly losing his sloth face. "Yeah, well. He tricked me into doing it."

"How so?" Sakura's expression grew darker as if she suspected something.

"W-well…" Naruto tried to find an easy way out of this conversation and failed. "B-because we're friends now and…"

"And…?"

"And I… well he said… we're…" Naruto took a deep breath, deciding to get it over with. "I live in his apartment now!"

There was a minute of silence. Naruto sat behind his desk, trembling with fear of what Sakura's reaction might be. Her beloved Sasuke, living with the person who was once rumored to have kissed the Ice Prince. But he simply couldn't say no. Not back then, when they were both so comfortable together, standing in that kitchen and when Sasuke plainly and bluntly told him that he was an idiot and it would be a lot easier for both of them if he moved in. Naruto was so happy. In reality he'd agreed to do the bills himself. He promised to get a job, too. Such things were a small price to pay for what Sasuke's suggestion was. They would live together. Just like they were now.

"You two are… living in one apartment?" Sakura asked, as if she didn't believe it to be true.

"Y-yes…?" Naruto tried quietly.

Sakura looked at him as if he was delirious. Then, she looked at him as if he had done something wrong.

"You two, living in one house? I don't like this. I don't like this at all." She glared at the blonde. "I bet you tricked him into doing it, you baka."

"Ah… I…"

"I do hope you sleep in separate rooms." She snapped.

_No, actually, you see, it's a bit hard to trudge to a different room at 12:00 midnight once we're done…_

"Of course!" Naruto made a noise of disgust. "I wouldn't dream of being in the same room with him!"

"And I hope you don't force Sasuke to cook for you in the mornings."

_Well, actually, he always cooks because he thinks that I can burn water._

"N-no! His food would be poisonous, I bet!"

"And Naruto…" she leaned in close to his face. "If you even think of walking home together with him…"

_Uh, well, he does insist that we take different routes. He walks part of the way with you and then we meet up and walk home together but if you knew that you'd kill me and him alike._

"Of course not."

She let out a sigh of relief. Naruto did, too, but quietly. He slumped in his chair as she shut the door behind her, walking out of the classroom.

"You're really that scared of us being in the same room?"

Sakura turned to look over her shoulder at Sasuke who was leaning casually against the wall on the side of the door that lead into the classroom. It was quiet in the halls, too. She smiled.

"Sasuke-kun."

"It was my idea."

She smiled even wider, although this smile was a little sadder. "I figured."

"You don't mind it, then?" he asked quietly.

"Don't mind what?"

"Us living together."

Sakura looked away, her smile still lingering, but it was misty, as if it might dissolve at any moment. "It's what you wanted, obviously. I can't help that." She turned around completely and walked away, her shoes echoing back to Sasuke for a long time. He turned and walked back into the classroom, greeted by a happy Naruto. He kissed him again, but lightly this time.

"Yes, this is what I want." He whispered.

"What?" Naruto asked, not understand where this sudden sentence had come from.

"Just shut up, dobe." Sasuke chuckled, his fingers traveling through the blonde hair.

"Teme." Naruto mumbled, but he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the touch of the one he loved as fresh February snow fell in the background. This was what they both wanted, and not all the Sasuke fan girls in the world could change that.

* * *

Fear my terrible writing skills. And yes, I rpomice that someday I will make chapter 7 better.

Someday.


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